Understanding the

end times in the light

of Bible prophecy

Roy Allan Anderson \ \ \ \ %Vi

-'
 ■

Roy A n .an Anderson

#
Pacific Press® Publishing Association
Nampa, Idaho
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
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 Book design by Steve Trapero
Cover photo by Steve Trapero

Copyright © 2006 by
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Unless otherwise indicated,

Scripture references are from the King James Version.

ISBN 13: 978-0-8163-2151-3

ISBN 10: 0-8163-2151-5

06 07 08 09 10 • 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface 7
Introduction 10

1. Who Was Daniel the Prophet? 15

2. Daniel at the Court of Babylon 23

3. Daniel in the Critics’ Den 32

4. Prophetic Panorama of History to Be 42

5. The Mystic Stone Kingdom 55

6. Treason, Trial, and Triumph 64
7. Maniac King Regains His Kingdom 70

8. Belshazzar and Babylon’s Fall 79

9. Cartoon Prophecies of World Empires 89

10. Antichrist and Heaven’s Judgment 99

11. Daniel’s Key Theme— The Sanctuary and Salvation 112

12. Messiah’s Ministry and Predicted Day of His Death 121

13. Divine Intervention in International Politics 128

14. Political Intrigue Divides Greek Empire 133
15. Prophecy’s Forecast of Rome’s Rulership 140
16. Daniel Views Rise of Persecuting Power 149
17. The Atheistic Revolution 155

18. Is Earth Headed for World Government? 170

19. Righteous Shine as the Stars Forever 173

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J esus, the C enter of the Revelation

20 . The Book of Revelation 184

21 . The Seven Epistles of Christ to His Church 195

22 . Christ’s Epistles to Smyrna and Pergamos 200

23 . Christ’s Epistles to Thyatira and Sardis 208

24. Christ’s Epistles to Philadelphia and Laodicea 216
25. The Vision of the Throne, the Lamb, and the Sealed Book 226
26. The Apocalyptic Horsemen 239

27. The Sealed Number and the Innumerable Company 253

28 . History’s Pageant of Conquest and Defeat 261

29. The Angel W ith the Open Book 273

30 . Measuring the Worshipers and the Power of the Two Witnesses 281

31. The Conflict of the Church 287

32. The Beast From the Sea and the Man With the Mystic Number 666 297
33 . The Collapse of Intolerance and the Rise of America 308
34 . God’s Final Appeal to Mankind 320

35. The Triumph of the Church and the Seven Last Plagues 331
36 . The Judgment of the Scarlet Woman 342

37 . The Trium ph of the Church and the Two Great Suppers 354
38 . The Millennium and Christ’s Final Victory Over Sin 361

39 . The New Earth, Home of the Saved 370

40. The Conclusion 378

6
 No book in the field of biblical prophecy could be more timely
than this work on the prophetic books of Daniel and the Revela­
tion— for two reasons: First, there is a strong feeling among students
of Bible prophecy that Daniel and the Revelation are understood best
when studied together. Each needs the other. Second, the times in
which we now live demand a restudy of these prophecies.
The great prophetic cinema of the march of the ages moves with
gathering speed before our eyes. We need a fresh approach, a restudy
of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation that have been such a
blessing to God’s people since the days of the prophets themselves.
This is what this author has brought to us. Religious confusion reigns
in our day; we need a clear understanding of these books. One special
strength of this book is the thorough research the author has made
into the historical background of the prophecies and their authors.
During his boyhood, Daniel witnessed the collapse of the mighty
Assyrian Empire, which had dominated the Near East for centuries.
Fie also saw the rise of the new Babylonian Empire under N ebu­
chadnezzar the Great. The invasions of the West, the capture of Je­
rusalem, the forced transfer of the inhabitants to Babylon are graph­
ically pictured. The prophet himself was one of these captives. Thus
began the seventy-year captivity of G od’s people as predicted by
Jeremiah. (See Jeremiah 25:11, 12.)
Located at the very center and headquarters of the first prophetic
world empire, Daniel wrote his great book on historic prophecy.
For several generations now biblical scholars have disputed certain
interpretations in the book of Daniel. Dr. Anderson’s treatment of
these issues is like a breath of fresh air on the subject. The historical
credibility for the book of Daniel is especially emphasized in the
chapter titled “Daniel in the Critics’ D en.” Here we see how m od­
ern archaeology has helped rescue the book of Daniel from its

7
tormentors. A new understanding, a brilliant light, now penetrates
many dark places o f the past. N ot only the existence but the iden­
tity of Belshazzar is clear. Im portant material on Darius and the
friendship of Cyrus with Daniel will intrigue the reader.
Just before the first advent of Christ, the book of Daniel proved
of great importance, identifying as it does the long expected Messiah.
The prophecy of the seventy weeks found in Daniel chapter 9 posi­
tively identifies Jesus of Nazareth as the true Messiah, the Christ of
the Holy Scriptures. However, Daniel 9 is only a part of a larger
prophecy that actually begins in chapter 8. Its complete fulfillment
reaches down to the period just before the second coming of Christ,
the period Daniel speaks of as “the time of the end.” The author of
this volume believes that we are now living in that time.
Again, the book of Daniel becomes important because, while the
prophecies of that great book do not give a definite date for Christ’s
second coming, they do reach down with awe-inspiring accuracy to
the very days in which we live. The eleventh chapter of Daniel, with
its remarkable fulfillment in history, has always proved a problem to
exegetes. This author makes a strong case for his enlarged view. That
this prophecy of Daniel 11 has been fulfilled by the literal events of
history has been generally accepted by Bible students at least down to
verse 36. After presenting the conflict between the rulers of Alexander’s
broken empire and their followers, the author then shows how the
Republic of Rome, with Julius Caesar and other great men from the
West, played a prominent part in subsequent history. The words re­
corded in Daniel have been fulfilled with marvelous accuracy.
Finally, in Daniel 11:36 to 12:4, the author sees a greater fulfill­
ment than have many writers in the past. He envisions a worldwide
application of these verses. The Ottoman Empire passed away in 1922
after allied intervention in the Turkish war on Greece. But Islam to­
day is in the news. Mighty world changes are now taking place. New
lineups and new divisions presage the time when demon spirits will
take possession of human powers. These developments could lead to
global government. Then the “dragon,” “the beast,” and the “false
prophet” mentioned in the book of Revelation will have their day
challenging the people of God.

8
 Tensions in the East and near East, with growing world confu­
sion, seem destined to lead into world conflict until at last the voice
of God in heaven declares, “It is done!” Then His judgments will be
poured out in seven-fold affliction that will surely bring the great con­
federacy of evil to collapse. As Daniel predicted, “He shall come to his
end, and none shall help him .”
The author wisely urges that we tread softly on unfulfilled proph­
ecy. Remember the words of Jesus in John 13:19, “Now I tell you
before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am
he.” (See also John 14:29.)
From beginning to end, this book stresses the importance of the
study of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation by everyone privi­
leged to be living in these “latter days.” Earnest study of God’s W ord
will bring blessing and spiritual growth through the grace of our Tord
Jesus Christ. Only the power of His divine Spirit can give us what is
needful in our preparation to meet the King in His glory with peace
and joy.

H. M. S. Richards, Sr.

9
 Sir Isaac Newton, the great physicist, once said, “To reject Daniel
is to reject the Christian religion.”
A helpful study guide to the book of Daniel is Uriah Smith’s
work, The Prophecies o f Daniel and the Revelation. It was written more
than a hundred years ago, and much more is known today. The dis­
coveries of recent times give one a different outlook on the Babylon of
Daniel’s day. Much light has been shed on that ancient world. Events
and geographical places, which earlier critics and liberal theologians
declared must be fictitious, have today been proved accurate and
true.
Knowledge concerning Babylon has increased, thus giving us an
overview not available to people of previous generations. But Daniel
wrote more than history; half of his book is prophecy. And next in
importance to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior is a knowl­
edge of His prophetic program for our age and the coming age.
The world is being shaken to its foundations; civilization bal­
ances on the brink; “men’s hearts [are] failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” For these
times our Lord admonishes us to study “Daniel, the prophet.” He
said, “Whoso readeth, let him understand” (Matthew 24:15). Only
those who understand the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation
can comprehend the issues we face in our generation. Daniel is the
outstanding apocalypse of the O ld Testament, as Revelation is of
the New Testament.
Three times Daniel was called “greatly beloved” by Gabriel, the
messenger of the God of heaven. One whose inspired counsel has
meant much to us has well observed that “the book of Daniel is un­
sealed in the revelation to John, and carries us forward to the last
scenes of this earth’s history.” “The light that Daniel received from
God was given especially for these last days.” “Tfiere is need of a much

10
closer study of the word of God; especially should Daniel and the
Revelation have attention as never before in the history of our work”
{Testimonies to Ministers, pages 112, 113, 115).
“The Holy Spirit has so shaped matters, both in the giving of the
prophecy and in events portrayed, as to teach that the human agent is
to be kept out of sight, hid in Christ, and the Lord of heaven and His
law are to be exalted. Read the book of Daniel. Call up, point by
point, the history of the kingdoms there represented. Behold states­
men, councils, powerful armies, and see how God wrought to abase
the pride of men, and lay human glory in the dust” (ibid., page
112).
To deal with every facet in the book of Daniel and keep within
the scope of these chapters is not possible. But I hope that those who
read these pages will do so with hearts bowed in humility and prayer,
asking that the Holy Spirit, whom the author believes has guided in
the research, may lead the reader to a deeper knowledge of Daniel’s
God. Praise be to His name!

Roy Allan Anderson

11
 $ Daniel the Pranhut?
Daniel holds a place of unusual honor in sacred history. O f all the
ancient Hebrew writers, this prophet-statesman stands out as unique.
N ot only did he profoundly influence his own generation, but his
prophecies still have influence. His messages can mean even more to
our own generation, living as we do just prior to our Lord’s return.
Guided by the Holy Spirit, Daniel introduced a new type of rev­
elation, which we speak of as apocalyptic prophecy. Rather than giv­
ing glimpses of isolated events, this kind of prediction takes in the
whole sweep of history from ancient times to the end of the age. The
book of Daniel is up-to-date; certain parts read like the headlines in
our morning papers. Truly Daniel is the prophet for our day.
Jesus referred to him as “Daniel the prophet” and added, “Whoso
readeth, let him understand.” As Fenton translates it, “Let the reader
comprehend” (Matthew 24:15).
To comprehend the message of Daniel we need to know some­
thing of the international scene of his day. The opening words of his
book are significant: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim
king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusa­
lem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah
into his hand” (Daniel 1:1, 2). Note that “the Lord gave Jehoiakim
into his hand.”
The year was 605 b .c ., and this was the first of three invasions of
Judah by Chaldean conquerors. Daniel and his companions, the only
exiles mentioned by name, were among those first taken to Babylon.
The second invasion occurred in 598 b .c ., when a much larger group
was deported. Among them was a young priest, Ezekiel, who later
wrote the book that bears his name. In the final invasion, in 586 b .c .,
the last large group of exiles, together with the remaining temple
treasures, were taken to Babylon. Then the invading army destroyed
Solomon’s magnificent temple and the city of Jerusalem.

15
Unveiling Daniel and Revelation
T ragedy in J erusalem
Those were tragic days for the Jews. W hat would we have thought
had we been there witnessing wave after wave of heathen armies car­
rying away the strongest of the people as slaves and leaving the city of
Jerusalem a heap of ruins? Fear and grief filled the hearts of the Jewish
people as they saw their lavish house of worship, probably one of the
most ornate and beautiful buildings the world had ever known, lev­
eled to the ground. Such a thing need never have happened had the
nation heeded the messages of God through the prophets, especially
Jeremiah. Daniel was not more than eighteen years old—just a teen­
ager— when he was snatched from his home and marched at least
eight hundred miles to Babylon, the capital of idolatry. As far as we
know, none of those first exiles ever saw his homeland again. The date
of Daniel’s birth could not have been later than 623 b .c . This coin­
cided with the rise of the Neo-Babylonian kingdom, which, having
conquered the warring empire of the Assyrians, quickly gained world
renown.

S unset of A ssyrian rule

The last strong king of Assyria was Ashurbanipal, who died in 626
b . c . or possibly as early as 631 b . c . The last remnants of Assyrian
power collapsed during the reign of the weak king Ashur-uballit,
when the Babylonians marched against Syria to quiet a revolt there.
Later they attacked Egypt in order to overthrow all opposition to the
establishment of Babylon’s universal rule.
These campaigns against Syria and Egypt were entrusted to
Nebuchadnezzar, the crown prince of the expanding Neo-Babylonian
Empire. Right at the time he was ready to invade Egypt, word reached
him that his father, Nabopolassar, had died. He therefore hurried
home to Babylon by the shortest route in order to secure to himself
the throne, leaving some of his generals to superintend the march of
the captives, including Daniel, over the long, eight-hundred-mile
journey to Babylon.
Three years earlier, in 608 b .c ., King Josiah, one of Judah’s great­
est leaders, had been fatally wounded on the field of battle close to
Megiddo. During his long reign this noble king had done much to

16
lead the nation back to God. He sought diligently to undo the trend
toward heathenism of the fifty-seven shameless years of the two kings
before him— his grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon.

T he lost book sparks a great revival

Josiah came to the throne when but a boy of eight years. At six­
teen he was soundly converted, and two years later he led one of the
most far-reaching revivals in the history of the nation. He then gave
orders to repair the temple, which had then stood for four centuries.
While the workmen performed their tasks, they found the “book of
the law.” It had evidently been placed in one of the pillars of the
temple. They brought it to Shaphan, the scribe, who took it to the
king. Hearing the reading of the word of the Lord, Josiah was alarmed.
In humility he called a convocation of the leaders of the nation. As
they came together and listened to the book of the covenant, they,
too, were convicted; and, following the lead of the king, they laid
plans that resulted in the greatest Passover service ever recorded. (See
2 Kings 23:21-23; 2 Chronicles 35:1-9.)
Daniel was but a child at the time of this national revival, the ef­
fect of which, under King Josiah’s leadership, carried over for many
years. W hen this leader fell on the field of battle in 608 b .c . and his
body was brought home for burial, Daniel was a youth of fifteen years.
It is not hard to imagine the impression this tragedy had on his ado­
lescent mind. A short time later, the whole nation entered into a me­
morial lament in Josiah’s honor. Their sorrow was deep and lasting.
But, sad to say, the effect of Josiah’s devotion had little or no influ­
ence on his own sons.
A remnant of the nation’s youth, however, remained true. Among
these were young men of royal birth. Daniel and his companions were
probably students in the Jerusalem school of the prophets and may
have studied the Hebrew Scriptures under the guidance of leaders like
Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Nahum. At any rate, they were
“skilful in all wisdom” (Daniel 1:4).
The godly prophets and teachers bore witness for God and warned
the people of coming national calamity. But apostate kings and false
prophets opposed the messengers of the Lord and led the nation deeper

17
into sin and idolatry until there was no remedy. (See 2 Chronicles
36:14—16.) Picture faithful Jeremiah going up and down the streets of
Jerusalem wearing a yoke around his neck— a symbol of the tragedy
that awaited the nation because of its defiant disobedience. He knew
that the flower of its youth was destined to be captives and slaves in
an alien land. But the leaders of the people gave little heed.
Daniel and his friends probably knew of the experiences of Hezekiah
as recorded in Isaiah 39. Because of that king’s vanity in showing the
ambassadors from Babylon the treasures of his kingdom when he should
have been gi ving glory to God and leading these visitors to a knowledge
of Jehovah, Isaiah declared that his posterity would be “eunuchs in the
palace of the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 39:7). We can almost hear godly
teachers like Habakkuk saying, “Young men, this could and may well
happen to you. But if you determine to be true and faithful to God, no
matter what happens, He will make you strong witnesses for truth and
righteousness, even in wicked Babylon.”

S eparation from families and teachers

W hen at last the Chaldeans came, we can imagine these earnest
teachers throwing an arm around these boys as they said farewell,
wishing them G od’s blessing as they witnessed for Him in an alien
land. Try to imagine these young men, under the cruel command of
their captors, beginning their long trek to the great metropolis. That
surely would have been a tragic sight. But for Daniel and his three
dedicated friends the challenge became their opportunity.
Their parents and teachers had prepared them well for whatever
awaited them. Josiah’s godly influence was, unfortunately, lost on
his own sons, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah, and his grand­
son, Jehoiachin, each o f whom became king for a short time and
each of whom chose to follow his own wicked way. While the ef­
fects of Josiah’s revival were lost on his own sons, they were not lost
on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of whom moved on
to leadership even in the land of their servitude. The record of their
fidelity to principle while facing sentences o f death is recorded not
only in the Old Testament; these men are mentioned by inference
in Hebrews 11:33, 34 as men of faith.

18
 Shortly after the death of Ashurbanipal, Nabopolassar, father of
Nebuchadnezzar and commander-in-chief of the Chaldean armies
in Babylonia, sensing the weak leadership of Ashurbanipal’s sons,
saw an opportunity to build up the ancient kingdom of Babylon.
Having seceded from the Assyrian command, he set himself up as
the new king of Babylonia. Later he entered into an alliance with
Cyaxares I, king of the Medes. And that alliance was sealed by the
king giving his daughter, Princess Amuhia, in marriage to the young
Prince Nebuchadnezzar.
A few years prior to his first attack on Judah, Nabopolassar laid
siege to the city of Ninevah, one-time capital of Assyria. It fell before
the armies of Babylon and Media in 612 b .c . This marked the end of
Assyria’s ruthless rule, which for three centuries had terrorized sur­
rounding nations.
Ashurbanipal’s famous library was buried in the ruins and lay un­
discovered for almost twenty-five hundred years, until Layard and
others found it over a century ago. This ruin yielded a rich booty, es­
pecially the former library. Few other places have given so much aid
to the science of archaeology.
The final collapse of the Assyrian kingdom left the whole area open.
It was divided between Media and Babylonia. Cyaxares took all the
northern section, while Nabopolassar laid claim to all the south, in­
cluding Syria, Egypt, and Palestine. Judah, therefore, came under the
jurisdiction of Babylon. Jehoiakim, king of Judah, was definitely pro-
Egyptian, however, and foolishly felt that the nation’s security depended
upon Egypt rather than upon the living God. When Nebuchadnezzar
besieged Jerusalem in 605 b .c ., it was really to overthrow Egypt’s influ­
ence in that area. Had Judah heeded the message of the prophets, how
different would have been the history of the Jews. The Scripture records
that the Lord gave Jehoiakim into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who
reduced Judah to the status of a vassal state.

G o d ’s purpose worked out through B abylon

International intrigues and rebellions were well known to young
Daniel. W hen he and his royal companions were taken as hostages
and made eunuchs in the service of the king of Babylon, it was no

19
surprise but rather a fulfillment o f Isaiah’s prophecy uttered a hun­
dred years earlier. Habakkuk, a decade or more earlier, had expressed
his deep concern that the Lord seemed to be doing nothing to thwart
the rising power of the Chaldeans. He reminded the Lord that spoil­
ing and violence occurred everywhere and that wicked armies com­
passed the righteous. (See Habakkuk 1:2, 3.) But the Lord said to
him, “Behold . . . I will work a work in your days, which ye will not
believe, though it be told you. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that
bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of
the land, to possess dwellingplaces that are not their’s” (verses 5, 6).
The prophet could not understand this. He wondered why it was
permitted. But the Lord said He had “ordained them [the Chal­
deans] for judgm ent” and “established them for correction” (verse
12) .
Habakkuk was shown that what was to happen was in the purpose
of an all-wise God. He doubtless passed on this message to the young
people in his classes; when Nebuchadnezzar arrived at the gates of
Jerusalem, young Prince Daniel understood why. How greatly he
prized the words of Isaiah, Micah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and the other
prophets. If he did not actually have the writings, he knew the con­
tents of the prophets’ messages.
Although exposed to the vice and corruption of an oriental court—
and no other city was more vice-ridden than Babylon— Daniel main­
tained an unblemished life of practical holiness. And he lived a long
life, extending from Nebuchadnezzar to Cyrus the Great. Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Ezra, and Zerubbabel were all his contemporaries. We do not
know the year of his death, but he was at least eighty-eight years old
when he read the handwriting on the wall of the Babylonian palace
the night of Belshazzar’s feast. He witnessed the invasion of the Persian
army and was in his ninetieth year at least when thrown into the lions’
den. He was honored with high office under Cyrus, king of Persia,
and doubtless played an important role in influencing Cyrus to make
the decree that permitted the Jews to return and rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem. He may have watched the first caravan of rejoicing fellow
countrymen as they left for the land of their fathers under the leader­
ship of Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest.

20
D aniel through the eyes of contemporaries
Ezekiel mentions Daniel as an outstanding example of righteous­
ness, coupling his name with Noah and Job (see Ezekiel 14:14, 20).
He also speaks of Daniel as a man of exceptional intelligence (see
Ezekiel 28:3).
Josephus, the Hebrew historian, refers to Daniel’s skill in archi­
tecture. His book is written partly in Aramaic and partly in Hebrew,
there being six chapters in each language. He may well have lived to
be a hundred years old. Today, the traveler to the acropolis of Susa
(Shushan), one of the capitals of Elam (Daniel 8:2), is shown the sup­
posed tomb of Daniel. While he was a great prophet, he did not come
with a denunciation of specific sins and a plea for repentance as did
others. But he did speak to his nation in an authoritative way. Never
once did he use the regular formula, “Thus saith the Lord,” for he
spoke for God to a foreign court. He was statesman, prophet, and
prime minister, first of Babylon and later of Media-Persia.
We can learn wonderful lessons from this spiritual giant. His life
spanned almost a century, and nothing in his long and active life re­
veals more clearly his character than when, as a youth of eighteen, he
“purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the por­
tion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank” (Daniel
1: 8).
Eager to impress these brilliant young Judean captives and hasten
their Chaldeanization, Nebuchadnezzar personally ordered their diet.
This was, of course, part of a plan to change their lifestyle. To hasten
this change, the four were given idolatrous names. Daniel, which
means “God is my judge,” was named Belteshazzar, “Bel protect his
life”; Hananiah, “God is gracious,” became Shadrach, “worship of the
moon”; Mishael, “God has no equal,” was given the name Meshach,
“devotee of the moon god”; and Azariah was renamed Abednego, “a
servant of Nego” (or “Nebo”). For some reason, Daniel’s friends are
subsequently known by these heathen names.

R oyal cuisine refused

Sharing the bounties from the royal table was really a gracious act
on the king’s part. But these young men courteously refused it. They

21
had been well trained at home and at school. To accept this provision
would be to violate the food laws of Leviticus. Furthermore, they knew
it was first offered to idols, perhaps to Marduk (Bel or Merodach), the
chief god of Babylon. As spokesman for the group, Daniel requested
Melzar, the chief steward, that they be given water instead of wine and
“pulse,” or vegetables, in place of the king’s meat. The Hebrew word
zero’im, “pulse,” is rendered “vegetables” or “grains” in other transla­
tions. In Isaiah 61:11 the word reads “things that are sown.”
God brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of
the eunuchs. The tactful approach of Daniel is a wonderful example
of godly humility and wisdom. “Prove thy servants . . . ten days,” he
said. “Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee .. .: and
as thou seest, deal with thy servants” (Daniel 1:12, 13). It was actu­
ally a case of clinical nutrition. And it worked. Their countenances
were fairer; they were well nourished and alert. But it was not only the
radiance of good health; it was the outshining of God’s presence.
Their bodies were, indeed, the temples of the Holy Spirit.

G o d - given knowledge and skill

No wonder Melzar permitted them to continue their plain diet.
W hat a demonstration of living a life of restraint and temperance
rather than sensual indulgence! W ith what result? God gave these four
young men “knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom” (verse
17). They underwent three years of study, and at the end of that time,
when they stood before the king to be examined, Nebuchadnezzar,
himself a trained Chaldean, “found them ten times better than all the
magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm” (verse 20).
At eighteen, Daniel was a man of leadership, a fact he early
proved. H ad he not taken the lead, one might never have heard of
the other three. He possessed an “excellent spirit” (Daniel 5:12), and
because of his integrity and unswerving loyalty he proved he could be
trusted with the secrets of kings. He served as Nebuchadnezzar’s
prime minister for perhaps forty years, and when Babylon fell, he
became prime minister of Media-Persia. Daniel’s strength was the
strength of righteousness. W hat man in all history can equal this
statesman-prophet in spiritual and political leadership?

22
 laniel at the Court of Babylon
In the Old Testament nothing adverse is recorded against either
Joseph or Daniel. Both of them were taken from their homes at the
tender age of seventeen or eighteen, and neither ever saw his home­
land again. Both endured hardships as slaves, yet both rose to become
prime minister of the empire in which they served.
Because these young men were destined for great leadership, God
permitted hard experiences to help mold their characters. No one has
better expressed the principles so essential in shaping great lives than
has Angela Morgan:

W hen G o d W ants a M an
W hen God wants to drill a man
And thrill a man and skill a man;
W hen God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part;
W hen He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall praise—
W atch His method, watch His ways!
How he ruthless perfects
W hom He royally elects;
How He hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which only God can understand—
While his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hand!
How He bends, but never breaks,
W hen his good He undertakes—
How He uses whom he chooses
And with every purposes fuses him,
By every art induces him

23
 To try his splendor out—
Yes, God knows what H e’s about.
W hen God wants to name a man
And fame a man and tame a man;
W hen God wants to shame a man
To do his heavenly best;
W hen He tries the highest test
That His reckoning may bring;
W hen He wants to make a king—

W hen the force that is divine

Leaps to challenge every failure and his ardor still is sweet
And love and hope are burning in the presence of defeat—

W hen the people need salvation

Doth he come to lead the nation.
"Then to all God shows His plan
W hen the world has found— a man!

—Angela Morgan, adapted.

While Daniel served in positions of high service in a foreign land,

he embodied truth and loyalty, adhered to principle, and was recog­
nized even by his enemies as a master in statecraft.

• He was of royal birth through the line of King Hezekiah. Daniel

1:3; 2 Kings 20:17, 18.
• Neither money nor power could corrupt him. Daniel 5:17.
• King Nebuchadnezzar recognized his brilliance as a scholar.
Daniel 1:18, 20.
• He permitted nothing to interfere with his regular periods of
prayer. Daniel 6:10.
• He carried on his heart the spiritual needs of his whole nation.
Daniel 9:3, 17, 18.
• Three times Gabriel bore witness that he was a man “greatly
beloved.” Daniel 9:23; 10:11, 19.

24
 • Even jealous enemies testified to his blameless character. Daniel
6:4, 5.
• His courage and spiritual endowments were known to all.
Daniel 5:10, 11; 6:10.
• Those closest to him recognized his “excellent spirit.” Daniel
5:12; 6:3.
• During his lifetime his righteousness and wisdom were prover­
bial. Ezekiel 14:20; 28:3.
• Scripture ranks him with such stalwarts as N oah and Job.
Ezekiel 14:19, 20.
• While serving in the court, he personally wrote part of the book
that bears his name. Daniel 7:1.
• His messages influenced tremendously the later prophecies of
Zechariah, Haggai, Paul, and John.
• His prophecies were recognized as authentic by Jesus, the great­
est teacher of all time. Matthew 24:15.
• He was a student of “science” and a competent scholar when
but a youth. Daniel 1:4.
• He was made chief of the foremost group of scholars in Baby­
lon. Daniel 2:48.

In the school of science were also astrologers, magicians, and

philosophers. They were later known as the magi. The magician
school continued for many centuries. The wise men who came from
the East to Bethlehem were evidently students of nature and were
led to worship the newborn King. “They belonged to a large and
influential class that included men of noble birth. . . . upright men
who studied the indications of Providence in nature” ( The Desire o f
Ages, page 59).
While Daniel was promoted as overseer of the wise men, there is
no intimation that he ever participated in the superstitious rites of the
Chaldeans. Never did he compromise his faith in God. In A Manual
o f the Ancient History o f the East, Lenormant describes this elite group
of priests, astrologers, and Chaldeans as “the absolute governing class
in politics. . . . At the head of this hierarchy and cast was Archi-Magus
. . . ; he was, next to the king, the chief personage in the empire.”

25
Nebuchadnezzar elevated Daniel to this preeminent and authoritative
position, as is made clear in Daniel 5:11.
Some readers may have the impression that Babylonian “wisdom”
was little more than the pseudoscience of astrology and did not also
include true astronomy. O n this point George Stephen Goodspeed
says of the Babylonians:

The heavens were mapped out, and the courses of the

heavenly bodies traced to determine the bearing of their move­
ments upon human destinies. . . . The year of three hundred
sixty-five and one-fourth days was known, though the com­
mon year was reckoned according to twelve months of thirty
days each, and equated with the solar year by intercalating a
month at the proper times. Tables of stars and their move­
ments, of eclipses of moon and sun, were carefully prepared.
The year began with the month Nisan (March-April); the day
with the rising of the sun; the month was divided into weeks
of seven days; the day from sunrise to sunrise into twelve dou­
ble hours of sixty minutes. The clepsydra [water clock] and
the sundial were Babylonian inventions for measuring time (A
History o f the Babylonians and Assyrians, pages 93, 94).

Two outstanding Babylonian astronomers were Nabu-rimannus and

Kidinnu. The former collected records covering two hundred years and
compiled tables of the sun’s motions in relation to the moon. He also
calculated the daily revolutions of the earth and measured the length of
the year as 365 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes, 41 seconds. Two thousand
years later the telescope revealed that his measurement of the year was
only 26 minutes, 55 seconds too long. This splendid timetable is the ear­
liest known recorded great constructive piece of astronomical science.
A little over a century later, Kidinnu made similar tables, which
have been proven even more accurate. It has been said that these sci­
entists from about the time of David “are entitled to a place among
the greatest astronomers. . . . They became founders of astronomical
science.” W ithout a doubt some very remarkable scientific deductions
were made in ancient Babylonia.

26
 Morey, in his Ancient Peoples, says,

As they discovered the regular movements of the heavenly

bodies, they acquired some knowledge of astronomical science.
They marked out the constellations and gave names to the stars.
They divided the year into months, weeks, days, hours, minutes,
and seconds. They measured the hours of the day by the sundial,
and they adopted the decimal notation; but they also used an­
other system of notation, that is, a system based on the number
sixty—which we have inherited from them in our division of the
hour and the minute into sixty parts. Besides acquiring consider­
able knowledge of mathematics, the Babylonians were the first
to devise a regular system of weights and measures.
The progress made by the early Babylonians in architec­
ture, science, and the mechanic arts exercised a great influence
upon later nations. Indeed, it would be difficult to overesti­
mate the importance of these early steps in the world’s civili­
zation (pages 26, 27).

D aniel’s place among the scientists of his day

As we noticed, Daniel headed this group of Chaldean “wise men.”
In fact, he remained chief counselor to King Nebuchadnezzar for
about forty years. The king himself was a Chaldean— a scholar. That
is why he was able to examine Daniel and his companions.
In Daniel, then, we see not only a great statesman recognized by
both the Babylonian and the Medo-Persian Empires but also a tal­
ented representative of the God who reveals secrets. W ith all the hon­
ors the world could give, however, he was also a humble servant of the
Most High God. The messages he wrote and taught in his own gen­
eration were important, but those messages are even more vital to the
present generation, for the things he foretold would happen in the
“time of the end” are either in process of fulfillment now or will be in
the very near future, for the end of all things is at hand.

E zekiel’s estimate of D aniel

Ezekiel, a contemporary of Daniel, was another Jewish captive in

27
Babylon. He belonged to the priestly line, while Daniel was of the royal
line. Ezekiel, who was younger than Daniel, had the unusual opportu­
nity to observe him at close range. Ezekiel was called of God to the office
of both prophet and priest. He began his ministry some fourteen years
after Daniel’s arrival in Babylon, so at the time Ezekiel began to write
Daniel was about forty years old. At the time Ezekiel wrote of him, Daniel
could have been close to fifty. Certain critics declare Daniel would have
been too young to have earned such a reputation as we find recorded in
Ezekiel 28:3. Writing of Lucifer, Ezekiel says, “Behold thou art wiser
than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee.” But as a
chosen messenger of God, Daniel had plenty of time to demonstrate his
wisdom and knowledge. Moreover, he earned that reputation in a land
that boasted greater wisdom than any previous generation. The Chaldean
wise men, of whom Daniel proved wiser than any, were recognized as the
most famous and knowledgeable in the ancient world. We can well imag­
ine what it meant to the Jewish captives, slaves, for the most part, to
know of Daniel’s presence in the highest councils of the empire. To know
that at the head of the state and the “university” stood one of their own
must have been wonderfully reassuring. He was their representative, their
influential patron, loved by God and by the people.
As a priest (also a prophet) among the exiles, Ezekiel was probably
setded in the community of Tel-abib on the canal Chebar, a short dis­
tance from the capital. (See Ezekiel 3:15.) Delivering his divine warnings
(verse 17), he too probably heard of what Daniel was doing at the ad­
ministrative headquarters. And it was this younger messenger of God
who linked the name of Daniel with the great righteous men of other
days—Job and Noah. (See Ezekiel 14:14, 20.) True, Daniel was young
when he became chief counselor to the king, but that was because he
demonstrated so wonderfully his unusual God-given gifts when but
twenty-one years old. However, when Ezekiel wrote of him he had
reached the zenith of his power and fame. Ezekiel may have had oppor­
tunity to see personally the evidence of Daniel’s greatness and esteem.

C aptive J ews rebuild B abylon

The Jewish exiles played a great part in the rebuilding of the city of
Babylon. It became the most ornate city of the ancient world, with its

28
temples and palaces planned and inspired by Nebuchadnezzar. While he
was their conqueror, he permitted the exiles to live in colonies of their
own, where they could carry out their religious customs. In fact, during
these captivity years the synagogue came into being. There were no such
places as synagogues before the Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel speaks of a
"litde sanctuary” that many believe has reference to the synagogue.
Jeremiah was not numbered among these exiles. He still lived in
Jerusalem when he urged the exiles to build their own houses and
serve their masters. (See Jeremiah 29:5-7.) He foretold that they
would remain in captivity for seventy years. (See verse 10.) Yet while
living in a foreign land, they were still permitted to live as families.
Daniel and his companions, however, had no such privilege.
Although living at the court, they, like the whole nation of Judah,
were victims of God’s judgment. But the judgments upon these young
men were especially severe. The Scripture declares that Daniel and his
three companions were princes, members of the royal family. They
were born to rule and, as fathers of families, to guide their children in
the ways of God. But instead they were destined to live as eunuchs in
the service of their captors. W hen divine wrath is visited on a nation,
the innocent suffer with the guilty. It has often been so.
More than a hundred years before Nebuchadnezzar came to power,
Isaiah told King Hezekiah that because of his failure to represent the
God of heaven rightly, when the ambassadors came to him from Baby­
lon, his sons would be “eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon”
(Isaiah 39:7). And this is exactly what Daniel and his companions
were— emasculated men with no hope of family or posterity. Think of
what this meant to a genius like Daniel. Bred in the expectation of
princely responsibility and sovereignty, he at last found himself destined
to spend his life in the service of a heathen monarch in a foreign land!
The tragedy of Judah’s national sin was compounded a thousand
times as the parents were forced to see what happened to the flower of
their youth. But with it all, these four young men, of whom Daniel
was leader, remained noble examples of true knowledge and righteous
living. By diligent study they prepared themselves for whatever places
of trust they might be called to fulfill, and all four of them rose to
positions of responsibility.

29
 During Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of the Holy Land, Jeremiah
was left in Jerusalem. He continued as the great prophetic figure to
the nation already suffering divine judgments. O n the other hand,
Ezekiel prophesied to the exiles already in Babylon while Daniel
served as prophet-statesman at this seat of political power. W hat a
tremendous role he played in keeping the vision of the future clear to
the captives! And not to them alone but also to the Babylonians them­
selves, many of whom will no doubt inhabit the kingdom of glory
because of Daniel’s faithful witness.
Did Daniel write the book of Daniel? Jesus spoke of him as the
“prophet.” (See Matthew 24:15.) The Lord did not refer to him as a
forger or a deceiver. Nor did He imply that some other person had
written the book that bears Daniel’s name.
In his book Observations Upon the Prophecies o f Daniel and the
Apocalypse o f St. John, Sir Isaac Newton says, “Whoever rejects the proph­
ecies of Daniel does as much as if he undermined the Christian religion,
which so to speak, is founded on Daniel’s prophecies of Christ.”
Josephus, the noted Jewish historian, declared that the prophet-
statesman himself wrote the book. In Antiquities o f the Jews, 10:11:7,
he says: “All these things did this man leave in writing, as God had
showed them to him, insomuch that such as read his prophecies, and
see how they have been fulfilled, would wonder at the honour where­
with God honoured Daniel.”

D aniel’s influence on G reek history

Josephus relates a moving incident in the life of Alexander that
involved the book of Daniel. After telling how the nation was filled
with fear when the Jewish people heard that Alexander was making
his way to Jerusalem, Josephus says, “Now Alexander, when he had
taken Gaza, made haste to go up to Jerusalem; and Jaddua the high
priest, when he heard that, was in an agony, and under terror, as not
knowing how he should meet the Macedonians.. . . [But] God warned
him in a dream . . . that he should take courage, and adorn the city,
and open the gates; that the rest should appear in white garments, but
that he and the priests should meet the king in the habits proper to
their order, without the dread of any ill consequences, which the

30
providence of God would prevent. . . . Alexander, when he saw the
multitude at a distance, in white garments, while the priests stood
clothed with fine linen, and the high priest in purple and scarlet cloth­
ing, with his mitre on his head, having the golden plate whereon the
name of God was engraved, he approached by himself, and adored
that name, and first saluted the high priest.” In explanation of his act,
he said, “ ‘I saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit, when
I was at Dios in Macedonia. . . . [And] I believe that I bring this army
under the Divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius.’ . . .
.And he came into the city. And when he went up into the temple, he
offered sacrifice to God, according to the high priest’s direction, and
magnificently treated both the high priest and the priests. And when
the Book of Daniel was shown him, wherein Daniel declared that one
of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he supposed
that himself was the person intended.” (Antiquities o f the Jews, 11:8.)
The prophecies of Daniel (chapters 7 and 8) so impressed Alexan­
der, the Macedonian conqueror, that he became the protector of the
Jews throughout his whole realm. And this occurred a century and a
half before the date (165 b .c .) which Porphyry and the critics of our
day assign to the writing of the book of Daniel!
While Daniel was writing his prophecies, he was prime minister
of the empire that ruled the world and the acknowledged head of the
Chaldean hierarchy, next to the king. Yet all the while that he was
carrying such tremendous responsibility as a statesman, he remained
a loyal, dedicated messenger of the living God, one who, though ex­
alted, did not forget his Hebrew companions.
“Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and
made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief prefect
over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made request of the king,
and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs
of the province of Babylon; but Daniel remained at the king’s court”
(Daniel 2:48, 49, RSV).
It has been truly said, “History follows the mold set for it by D an­
iel.” The events of thousands of years have verified that his prophecies
were truly of God.

31
 About two hundred years ago certain scholars of the rationalistic
school attacked the book of Daniel. They said it is unreliable, both
historically and prophetically. Because of a lack of correlative evidence
concerning certain events recorded by Daniel, and also because of the
prophet’s predictions, they claimed the book could never have been
written as prophecy, for no man knows the future. It must, therefore,
have been written as history, and the writer, in order to gain prestige,
used the name of Daniel.
The argument was not new. Porphyry, a neoplatonic philosopher
and Greek historian born in Tyre in a .d . 233, had made the same
claim.

P orphyry’s attack on C hristianity

Enamored with the teachings of Plotinus, Porphyry gave himself
to special study and later became a lecturer on philosophy in Rome.
Defending polytheism and the worship of the popular gods, he set
himself to the task of destroying all that opposed it. Christianity,
therefore, he violently attacked. He wrote on many subjects, but his
best known works are fifteen books under the title Adversus Cristianos
(Against the Christians). Books 12 and 13 of this set are a bitter criti­
cism of Daniel. And, strange as it may seem, his arguments still form
the basis of theologians’ attacks on Daniel.
His ideas were not accepted by all. This is evident from the fact
that Emperor Theodosius II ordered, in a .d . 435 and again in a .d .
448, Porphyry’s books to be destroyed publicly. From that time until
the rise of German rationalism, around the middle of the eighteenth
century, little was heard of this anti-Christian philosopher. However,
when renewed attacks were made to discredit divine revelation— with
claims that naturalism and reason are the only safe sources of knowl­
edge— Porphyry’s arguments were early picked up. In a few years his

32
 I

ideas echoed again in the classrooms. It was claimed, for example, that
the book is really a forgery, a kind of religious novel, unreliable as his­
tory and impossible as prophecy. No man can foretell the future, de­
clared Porphyry and his followers. Poor Porphyry! How little he and
those who accepted his false teachings knew of the multiplied evi­
dences that were to be unearthed in our day!
Theologians who deny the authenticity of the book of Daniel say
that it must have been written about 165 b .c . during the Maccabean
period. They assign it a place in the Jewish pseudepigrapha— a group
of doubtful writings by unknown, uninspired authors, such as The
Fourth Book o f Ezra, The Testament o f the Twelve Patriarchs, The As­
sumption o f Moses, The Ascension o f Isaiah, The Odes o f Solomon, The
Testament o f Abraham, The Testament o f Adam, and The Apocalypse o f
Baruch. The writers of these books used the names of Old Testament
worthies in order to get their works accepted. They claimed to have
visions and used apocalyptic symbols.
To place Daniel in this group reveals a pathetic ignorance of both
the man and his message. Evidence in the book itself shows that the
prophet Daniel wrote the book in the sixth century b .c . But “liberal”
theology declares that it did not appear until the second century b .c .,
four hundred years later.
W hat is the purpose behind these claims? Certain critical scholars
are desirous of stripping the Bible of everything supernatural or mi­
raculous, leaving it merely a human production. To them, the book
of Daniel is the most vulnerable book of the sacred canon because it
contains so much of the supernatural— so many visions, so many
miracles, so many unusual happenings. These critical scholars, of
course, rule out predictive prophecy.
We would not condemn all biblical criticism. Much good has come
as men have sought to understand the true history of the writers and
their writings. In recent years we note with appreciation a new trend
toward a reverent, believing approach rather than the virtual abandon­
ment of the sacred Scriptures. Every Bible-believing Christian can ap­
preciate this. But in spite of these trends, many scholars still cling to the
claims of earlier writers. Many sincerely believe that the book of Daniel
is a product of the second century b .c . rather than of the sixth.

2—U. D. R. 33
 The things which most challenged Porphyry some 250 years after
Christ were the prophecies of Daniel. They were so accurate up to the
time of his writing that he said they could not possibly have been
written in advance. But what about all the centuries since? These, too,
were foretold in Daniel’s prophecies, some much more remarkable
than those preceding Porphyry. In fact, prophecy is found in many
books of the W ord of God. N ot only is prophecy predictive; it is also
exhortative. While it unveils the future, it also leads men to live lives
of justice and righteousness.

T he B ible, a book of prophecy

Genuine prophecy is, however, unique to the W ord of God. Other
religions have their sacred books or scriptures; and, while some con­
tain fine exhortations, none accurately foretells the future. If they did,
their mistakes and guesses would soon reveal them to be spurious, for
only the living God, the God of the Bible, knows the future. In fact,
He stakes His deity on His ability to predict what is yet to happen.
These words written by the prophet Isaiah, more than a hundred years
before Daniel’s day, set forth the claims of the living God: “Remem­
ber the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I
am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the begin­
ning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9,
10). Again: “W ho hath declared this from ancient time? who hath
told it from that time? have not I the L o r d ? and there is no God else
beside me; a just God and a Saviour” (Isaiah 45:21). As we pursue our
study of Daniel’s book, we will see how clearly the Lord foretold the
future.
When Daniel, the young Hebrew captive, stood before N ebu­
chadnezzar, he declared, “There is a God in heaven that revealeth se­
crets, and maketh known to the king . . . what shall. . . come to pass
hereafter” (Daniel 2:28, 29). The Judeo-Christian religion is either a
revealed religion recording the past and foretelling the future or it is
nothing at all. The ancient Hebrew prophets— Daniel, Jeremiah,
Moses, and Isaiah— possessed both insight and foresight. They were
both forthtellers and foretellers. Peter says, “For the prophecy came

34
 I

not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Daniel was one of
these “holy men” who spoke and wrote under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit.
In that same letter the apostle Peter refers to his experience with
James and John in the holy mount when Christ was transfigured before
them. They saw His glory and heard the Father’s voice declaring, “This
is my beloved Son, . . . hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). But Peter says,
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that
ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19).
What! More sure than what one sees and hears? Yes. The testimonies of
the prophets are more sure than our senses. Yet certain critics seem de­
termined to destroy the prophetic elements of the Bible.
Our Savior proved His messianic ministry not only by His miracles
but by the prophecies of the Old Testament. And in Gabriel’s mes­
sage to Daniel, the very time when our Lord was to begin His miracu­
lous ministry was clearly revealed. Moreover, Jesus knew it, for we
read in Mark 1:14, 15, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel
of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand.” W hat time was fulfilled? The time spec­
ified in Daniel 9:25, 26. (This prophecy is the basis of chapter 12 of
this book.) In His first sermon in Nazareth after returning from His
baptism by John, Jesus declared that He was fulfilling prophecy. (See
Luke 4:21.) Then, on the evening of His resurrection, having made a
surprise entrance to the upper room where His disciples huddled to­
gether for fear of the Jews, the Savior said, “These are the words which
I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44).
O ur Lord’s first advent was foretold in marvelous detail in scores
of prophecies. But Porphyry and the naturalistic critics of our time
cannot accept prophecy as a possibility. So they reject the books of
prophecy, such as Daniel and the Revelation, in the name of scholar­
ship.
They reject Daniel not only because of the prophecies but also
because they allege that the history is unreliable. Let us examine just a

35
few of the claims of these critics. The opening verses of Daniel speak
of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieging Jerusalem in the reign
of Jehoiakim. The critics used to say this is an error, for the event took
place before Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, died. Therefore
Nebuchadnezzar was not king of Babylon. But Jeremiah speaks of
Nebuchadnezzar in the same way (see Jeremiah 27:6). Daniel wrote
his opening verses using his knowledge of current history at a time
when Nebuchadnezzar was king.
Another criticism of Daniel’s historic record concerns the spelling
of the name Nebuchadnezzar. The critics say it should have been
spelled Nebuchadrezzar, with an “r” as it is in Ezekiel. (See Ezekiel
29:19; 30:10.) But Daniel spells it exactly as it is found in the books
of Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, and Jeremiah. In fact, Jeremiah sometimes
spells it as in Daniel and sometimes as in Ezekiel. A number of an­
cient history names in Scripture are spelled in varied forms. As an
example, take the Syrian monarch mentioned in 2 Kings 15:29. There
his name is spelled Tiglath-pileser. But in 1 Chronicles 5:26 he is called
Tiglath-pilneser. Other examples could be given. The critics them­
selves know that the transliteration of names from the Babylonian
cuneiform into Hebrew or Aramaic sometimes varies. Literally, Nebu­
chadnezzar is Nabu-kudarri-ussar, meaning “Nabu protect the succes­
sion rights.” In any case, the change from an “r” to an “n ” is insig­
nificant, giving no evidence for late authorship of Daniel’s book as
Porphyry claimed.

A rchaeology confirms D aniel’s record

The critics also question Daniel’s use of the word “Chaldeans.”
Daniel speaks of them as astrologers and magicians, but critics have
claimed that the word “Chaldean” referred to the nation of Babylon,
not to a class of astrologers. Let us look at the facts. About a century
after Daniel wrote, Herodotus visited Babylon, and he referred to the
Chaldeans just as Daniel did. The critics must surely have overlooked
Daniel’s own words in chapter 5, verse 30, and chapter 9, verse 1,
where he also refers to the king or the realm o f the Chaldeans.
Archaeological evidence shows the Chaldeans as a priestly caste, the
elite of Babylon, and dedicated to the worship of the god Bel (Marduk).

36
W hat we know of the Chaldeans today corroborates Daniel’s descrip­
tion in detail.
As we noted before, part of Daniel’s book was written in Hebrew
and part in Aramaic. This fact gave critics another occasion to place its
writing in the second century, alleging that the Aramaic of Daniel is
late Palestinian, not sixth century. But when the records of Qumran
were discovered, they contained scrolls written in Aramaic of the
Maccabean period, at which time the critics declare Daniel was writ­
ten. But the second century Aramaic in the scrolls is quite different
from that of Daniel. Even more convincing are the Elephantine pa­
pyri, dated in the fifth century b .c ., shortly after Daniel wrote. The
Aramaic of these documents corresponds closely to Daniel’s.
One of the critics’ strongest points related to the four empires of
Daniel’s prophecies. Building on Porphyry’s premise that Daniel is
history, not prophecy, they claim that the succession of empires is not
Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, but Babylon, Media, Per­
sia, and Greece. Rome, they argue, had not become a world empire in
Daniel’s day, whereas Greece was the dominant power in the second
century b .c . But they overlook the fact that Media and Persia were
actually one empire when Babylon was overthrown. It was Media-
Persia that took the stage of world dominion in 539 b . c . The Medes
joined the Persians in 550 b .c ., and the two became a united empire
years before they marched against Babylon. Media-Persia was indeed
the second of the world empires outlined in Daniel, chapters 2, 7, 8,
and 11.

BET.SH A7y.AR EMERGES FRO M BU R IE D CITIES

Daniel’s mention of Belshazzar as the last king of Babylon has

provided a major point of attack by the critics. Until recent years no
other historical evidence confirmed the existence of a king named
Belshazzar. This, the critics said, betrayed the ignorance of the writer
and exposed the book as fiction. Ancient secular sources, known to
scholars, indicated that Nabonidus, not Belshazzar, was the last king
of Babylon. And Nabonidus was not killed; Cyrus captured him in
Tema, northern Arabia. So Belshazzar was Exhibit A in the case
against Daniel. But archaeologists have turned the tables. Today,

37
evidence shows not only that Belshazzar lived but that he fulfilled the
exact role recorded by Daniel. True, Nabonidus was his father, but
from the third year of his reign, 553 b .c ., Nabonidus shared the sov­
ereignty with his elder son, Belshazzar, until the night Belshazzar died
at the hands of the Persians. (See Daniel 5.)
A crowning piece of evidence is a clay tablet bearing the names of
both Nabonidus and Belshazzar as reigning kings.
Belshazzar’s name in Babylonian cuneiform is Bel-shar-usur, “Bel,
protect the king.” He was still a young man when he gathered his
nobles for a blasphemous banquet. He had been a mere lad when he
had witnessed Nebuchadnezzar’s return to the throne after seven years
of insanity.
During these years Nabonidus, later to become king, was an offi­
cer in the court of Babylon, so from his earliest years Belshazzar was
accustomed to the throne and the protocol of royalty. When Belshazzar
was twenty years old, Nabonidus, after some intrigue, ascended the
throne and for the next seventeen years reigned as king of Babylon.
For thirteen of those years he shared rulership with his son Belshaz­
zar.
Just prior to the entry of the invading army, Daniel was brought
in to read the letters of fire, so boldly traced on the wall, that told the
doom of the kingdom. The wise men, the astrologers, the Chaldeans,
together with the soothsayers or spiritualists, were unable to interpret
the writing. W hen God’s prophet appeared, the king told him that if
he could interpret the message he would be made “the third ruler in
the kingdom” (Daniel 5:16). W hy not the second ruler? The answer
is simple. Belshazzar himself was already the second, as co-ruler with
his father, Nabonidus.
Yes, the evidence concerning Belshazzar is so convincing today
that no well-informed student of Babylonian history would doubt
either his existence or his kingship. He was, in truth, the last king of
Babylon, his father having gone to Tema at an earlier time.
Cyrus moved with his army toward the seat of the empire and
overran the kingdom. The events of his conquest were recorded on
the Nabunaid Chronicle. We should note in passing that when a
heavenly messenger wrote on the palace wall, the interpretation said

38
 /

that the kingdom is “given to the Medes and Persians,” (verse 28), not
to the Medes alone as the critics claim. We have already noted the at­
tempt to make Media the second of the four successive empires out­
lined by Daniel. But history shows that the Persians were united with
the Medes in their conquest. In fact, the Persians were the stronger of
the two kingdoms. This was clearly indicated in chapter 7 in the sym­
bol of the bear that raised itself up on one side. Also, in chapter 8 we
have the symbol of the ram with two horns, one higher than the other.
If, as the critics claim, Persia was the third empire in the succession,
how could it have been represented in chapter 7 by a leopard with
four heads or in chapter 8 by a goat with four horns? Was Persia ever
so divided? Strange the lengths to which men will go in their efforts
to prove that Daniel did not write prophecy but only recorded history
under the guise of prophecy.
Dr. E. B. Pusey, in the introduction to his work Lectures on
Daniel the Prophet, says, “The book of Daniel is especially fitted to be
a battle field in faith and unbelief. It admits no half measures. It is
either Divine or an imposture.” The tragedy is that the assailants, the
critics, are not usually avowed enemies of Christianity but often pro­
fessors in seminaries who train the preachers of tomorrow.

F our challenging questions

It is tragic how far some critics will go in the name of scholarship
until every prophecy, every miracle, and almost every historic event
recorded in the book of Daniel is either ridiculed or ripped from the
record. We would like to ask four questions that demand clear an­
swers:
1. If the book of Daniel was a forgery, how did it get into the Old
Testament canon? References from the books of Maccabees (c.
165 b .c .) indicate that Daniel was then a part of the canon of
Scripture. (See 1 Maccabees 2:51-60; cf. Daniel 1:7; 3:26;
6:23.)
2. If the book of Daniel was not written until 165 b .c ., how was
it ever included in the Septuagint? This great translation has
been assigned by some to the third century b .c ., long before
165 b .c ., the date some scholars ascribe to Daniel.

39
 3. W hy do the critics say Daniel’s reference to the doctrine of the
resurrection dates the writing? According to their claim, this
doctrine was not known in the sixth century. Yet, one of the
clearest statements in Scripture concerning the resurrection is
found in Job 19:25, 26, possibly the oldest book in the Bible.
Then what about Isaiah 26:19? “Thy dead men shall live, to­
gether with my dead body shall they arise.” Isaiah wrote at least
150 years before Daniel.
4. Who was the man of genius who penned this book foretelling
the future of our planet and declaring the year the Messiah
would begin His ministry? Daniel also predicted the scattering
of the Jews by the Romans and the apostasy of a great anti-
Christian power of later centuries. If this was not Daniel, who
was it?
In the days of the Maccabees, when the critics say the book was
written, the people lamented that there was no prophet in the land
and that there was great tribulation in Israel, and “no prophet ap­
peared” (1 Maccabees 9:27). Yet, critics say this book of Daniel ap­
peared t o be written in 165 b . c . i We ask, W ho wrote it? An “un­
known, pious Jew” writing in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes?
W. A. Criswell has stated it well: “They [the critics] cannot hold
up their heads in the white light of the historic past.”
And Joseph P. Free gives this lucid statement:

There is no first rate liberal today, as far as the writer knows,

who urges the old objection concerning Belshazzar. . . .
The detailed facts are that Nabonidus, in one sense the last
king of Babylon, was not killed by the invading Persians, but
was given a pension by his conquerors. O n the other hand,
Belshazzar, elevated to the position of ruler of Babylon by his
father, was killed when the city of Babylon was taken, as indi­
cated in Daniel 5:20. The matter concerning Belshazzar, far
from being an error in the Scriptures, is one of the many strik­
ing confirmations of the W ord of God which have been dem­
onstrated by archaeology (.Archaeology and Bible History, page
235).

40
 /

W hen Daniel served as prime minister of Media-Persia after

Babylon’s fall, the critics of his day had him thrown into the lions’
den in order to get rid of him. He was, at that time, about ninety years
old. Can we imagine what it would be like to spend the night with
great hungry cats? The next morning when the king asked, “Is thy
God . . . able to deliver thee from the lions?” Daniel answered with
assurance: “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’
mouths, that they have not hurt me” (Daniel 6:20-22).
The same God who shut the mouths of those savage beasts and
spared the life of His prophet lives still, and in many ways He exposes
the crumbling foundation upon which the critic’s arguments rest. He
who delivered His faithful servant long ago is again delivering Daniel
from his “enemies” as archaeology and history confirm the accuracy
of his writings. The stones of a hundred buried cities shout in the ears
of an unbelieving world, “God’s W ord is truth!” All the critics put
together, from Porphyry’s time until now, could never produce one
chapter of Daniel’s book. God gave him the vision and then guided
his mind as he wrote the prophecies.

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 As we begin the study of the second chapter of Daniel, let us note
again the second verse of chapter 1. “The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of
Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand.” W hy did Israel’s God make
such a gift? Obviously to punish His people for their continued blas­
phemous iniquity. But there was an even deeper purpose. God deliv­
ered Israel from Egyptian slavery and placed them in Canaan that
they might be His light bearers to the world. “I have endowed him
with my spirit,” said Jehovah, “to carry true religion to the nations”
(Isaiah 42:1, Moffatt). But Israel never measured up to that responsi­
bility. Instead, they hedged themselves about in the Land of Promise,
caring little about the surrounding nations who, in their darkness and
superstition, continued their idolatrous worship.

I srael’s failure to fulfill G o d ’s purpose

W hen Israel failed to carry out its God-given responsibility, the
Lord permitted a heathen monarch to invade Jerusalem and take His
people captive. Seeing the finest of Judah’s youth, such as Daniel and
his companions, wrenched from their homes and taken as slaves into
Babylon was a terrible shock to the Jews. Doubtless many asked if
God had forgotten His promise. No, He had not forgotten, but He
had to adapt His plan so as to carry out His original purpose. An all-
seeing providence has, through the centuries, been at work permitting
the rise and fall of nations and even the overthrow of His own people
as a nation.

In the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the

rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and
prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree,
to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in
the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold,

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 above, behind, and through all the play and counterplay of
human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the
All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels
of His own will (Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pages
499, 500).

In no other portion of the Bible are these principles more pro­

foundly portrayed than in the second chapter of Daniel. There the
whole sweep of history from Daniel’s day to our own time and be-
vond is clearly presented. This fascinating story focuses on a confron­
tation between two young men— one a slave, the other a king. And
this confrontation came about in a strange, but simple, way. The king
had a dream; not an unusual thing, especially in that land where the
meaning of dreams meant so much. But the impression on the mind
of this monarch was profound, so much so that he determined to
know its meaning.

Failure of B abylon’s wise men

A whole retinue of “wise men”— astrologers, magicians, spirit me­
diums, clairvoyants— peopled the court of Babylon. The king employed
them for the very purpose of unraveling mysteries. Sure, they insisted
that they could tell Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of his dream. But
there was one big problem— the king had forgotten the dream, although
he was sure it was important. The God of heaven had made his mind a
blank to the details of the dream in order that these so-called “wise
men” could not give Nebuchadnezzar a false interpretation.
W hen the frustrated king summoned his counselors, these educa­
tors, these mind readers, these stargazers, all failed. They assured him,
however, that if he told them what he had seen they would be able to
give the interpretation. The more these men hedged, the more impa­
tient the king became. But they continued to tell him that his demand
was not only unreasonable but impossible. Only “the gods, whose
dwelling is not with flesh” (Daniel 2:11), could give him the answer.
In that they were right. But their failure infuriated the king, who
charged them with speaking “lying and corrupt words” (verse 9). The
limitations of these palace aides had become all too evident. In his

43
rage the king blurted out, in essence, “There is only one end for all of
you. I will have you destroyed.” It was a brutal decision, but in keep­
ing with the practice of ancient dictators. So the executioners made
ready to carry out the order.
Daniel and his companions, as comparatively recent arrivals, were
evidently not consulted, but they were numbered among the Babylo­
nian wise men. W hen the executioners came to inform Daniel of the
situation, he asked, “W hy is the decree so hasty from the king?” (verse
15). He then requested an audience with the monarch. Daniel prom­
ised that if given time he would tell the dream and also the interpreta­
tion. Thus he staked his life upon God’s promise to hear his prayer.
Failure to keep his word would, he knew, bring terrible retribution.
He told the king he had not the slightest notion concerning the dream,
but he knew Someone who did know. He had faith. His request was
granted.
And what did Daniel do? He called his companions, and together
they laid the matter before the living God— One who never fails to
honor those who put their trust in Him. They spent the night in
prayer, and during the silent watches the Lord revealed the dream to
Daniel in a vision. He also gave him its meaning and its message.
Before sharing it with the king, Daniel remembered to thank
God:

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom
and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons:
he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom
unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understand­
ing: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what
is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank
thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast
given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me
now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known
unto us the king’s matter (verses 20-23).

Some have seen in Daniel’s prayer the influence of Habakkuk’s

revelation of God. Godly teachers can leave lasting impressions on

44
young men. Fellowship and communion in prayer is one of life’s rich­
est experiences. W hen the apostles of the New Testament came to­
gether and prayed, the very walls of the building were shaken. True
prayer can be the greatest power known to man. Daniel could have
prayed alone, but he sought the companionship of his friends. There
is great power in prayer fellowship.

D aniel meets the king ’s demand

The next day, instead of being brought before the executioners,
Daniel stands before the king. Erect in the presence of royalty, he
unfolds the message that changes the whole atmosphere. W ithout the
slightest indication of boasting, Daniel tells God’s message to the
ruthless ruler of much of the then-known world.
“Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have
seen,” asks Nebuchadnezzar, “and the interpretation thereof?” (verse
26).
Quickly turning the question from himself to his Lord, Daniel
reminds the king that the astrologers, the magicians, even the whole
retinue of soothsayers have been unable to meet his demand. “But,”
Daniel declares, “there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and
maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter
days” (verse 28). Fie also makes clear to the king that “this secret is
not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living”
(verse 30). Then young Daniel focuses the monarch’s mind on the
God of heaven, but before revealing the dream he has one request:
"Destroy not the wise men of Babylon” (verse 24).
Nothing more completely reveals the character of Daniel. As did
the Savior he represented, he prays for those who do not worship the
true God. The wise men naturally were jealous of Daniel’s wisdom,
for Nebuchadnezzar had already pronounced him and his compan­
ions “ten times better” in matters of wisdom and understanding “than
all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm” (Daniel
1: 20 ).
Picture the king listening spellbound to this twenty-one-year-old
wise man who says, “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great im­
age,” a mighty colossus, “whose brightness was excellent, . . . and the

45
form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast
and arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron,
his feet part of iron and part of clay” (verses 31-33). Then he tells the
king, “While you looked, a stone was hewn from a mountain, not by
human hands; it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and shat­
tered them” (verse 34, NEB). And the king’s memory reconstructs
the scene as this mighty metal-and-mud man crumbles to pieces; he
sees the shattered remains swept away by a strong wind, leaving the
place as clean as a summer threshing floor.

T he king listens spellbound

But this is not all. “The stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth” (verse 35). We can almost hear
the king saying to himself, “Yes, that is exactly what I saw. Nothing
added. Nothing left out. But does it have any meaning?”
Yes, it certainly has meaning, and not only for Nebuchadnezzar
but for every ruler and every person down to the end of time. En­
tranced, the king listens as Daniel continues. “This is the dream; and
we will tell the interpretation thereof’ (verse 36). The young prophet
tactfully tells the king that his empire came into being not because of
the strength of his well-trained armies, but because it was all in the
purpose of God. “Thou . . . art a king of kings,” he says, “for the God
of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory”
(verse 37). In other words, Nebuchadnezzar’s power and glory were a
given power, a given glory. “Wheresoever . . . men dwell, the beasts of
the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand,
and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold”
(verse 38).
A smile of satisfaction is seen on the king’s countenance, but Dan­
iel continues. “After thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to
thee”— not greater, but inferior— “and another third kingdom of
brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth” (verse 39).
Before Nebuchadnezzar fell asleep on the night of his dream, he
had been pondering the future. He wondered what would happen to
his expanding empire after he died. “As you lay in bed,” said Daniel,
“came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and he who reveals mys-

46
 Prophetic Panorama of History to Be
teries made known to you what is to be” (verse 29, RSV). There will
be other empires, Daniel stated; in fact, three others— no more, no
less. And each succeeding empire will be inferior to the one before;
inferior in concentrated wealth, but superior in strength and territory.
Then, as the image stood in all its glory, suddenly a stone struck the
colossus on the feet— not the head, but the feet— and the whole thing
crumbled to pieces. Then a great wind came and carried everything
away; not a fragment was left. But the stone that smote it began to
grow until it filled the whole earth. “The God of heaven [will] set up
a kingdom,” said Daniel, and that kingdom of glory “shall not be left
to other people, . . . and it shall stand for ever” (verse 44). And the
vouthful prophet concluded his exposition with the emphatic declara­
tion: “The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” (verse
45).
No wonder the king was troubled. No wonder he wanted some­
one to give the meaning. Was it a nightmare or a revelation? He did
not know. W hat Nebuchadnezzar needed was “an interpreter, one
among a thousand” (Job 33:23), and Daniel proved to be such an
interpreter. This mighty colossus in the form of a man was actually a
forecast of man’s attempt to govern himself apart from God.

“T he times of the G entiles”

W hen Israel was delivered from Egypt and was established as a
nation at the crossroads of the world, God designed that it should
teach the nations true religion. Instead, Israel followed the world into
idolatry. Instead, the world led Israel into corrupting ways of witch­
craft. So the Lord permitted Nebuchadnezzar to invade the Israelites’
land, to destroy their city, and to overthrow the throne of Judah. That
was the beginning of Gentile rulership. Because of Israel’s failure, the
Lord may well have permitted the overthrow of Jerusalem in order to
teach His people to depend on the living God for their protection and
not on alliances with the world. Israel, instead of taking its place as
the head of nations as God intended, now found itself in the hands of
Gentile powers.
God’s original purpose for Jerusalem was that it would stand as a
great administrative center, an example to the world. Had His people

47
obeyed Him, the city of Jerusalem would have stood forever. (See
Jeremiah 17:25.) But the nation failed to live up to its high destiny,
and this led the prophet to mourn that “the sin of Judah is written
with a pen of iron, . . . it is graven upon the table of their heart” (Jer­
emiah 17:1). As a last appeal, Jeremiah was told to stand by the gate
where the kings of Judah came in and out and deliver this message:
“Thus saith the L o r d ; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden
on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; . . . nei­
ther do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded
your fathers. . . . Then there shall enter into the gates of this city kings
and princes sitting upon the throne of David . . . : and this city shall
remain for ever” (verses 21, 22, 25).
W hat was the people’s response? “They obeyed not, . . . but
made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive in­
struction” (verse 23). The time came when there was no remedy.
(See 2 Chronicles 36:14-17.) True to the prophecy, the city was
invaded and overthrown. Since then the Jews have never had a
king or a throne. For some two thousand years they have been a
scattered people among the nations while Gentile nations have led
and ruled the world. This will continue until the coming of the
King of kings who will reign forever.

B abylon gathers wealth of the nations

The sweep of history was outlined before Nebuchadnezzar and
emphasized by the contrasting metals of the image. Now let us note
the significance of these successive empires. The head of gold pictured
Babylon. Under Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon was the recognized center
of wealth and glory. Gold flowed into it from all the provinces of the
empire. The immense treasures gathered by King Solomon and
brought to Jerusalem were later confiscated and carried to Babylon.
Tremendous quantities of gold and bronze made Babylon the wealth­
iest city of its time.
W hen Herodotus, the ancient historian, visited Babylon a century
after Nebuchadnezzar’s day, he found an abundance of gold still
there. Temples, altars, shrines— all were plated with this precious
metal. Jeremiah says, “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the L o r d ’s

48
hand” (Jeremiah 51:7). Isaiah spoke of Babylon as “the glory of king­
doms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency” (Isaiah 13:19).
The Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar was not this city’s beginning. It
was probably the first city built after the Flood. (See Genesis 10:10.)
It flourished for hundreds of years. But after the reign of Hammurabi,
king of ancient Babylon, it declined until it was little more than a
wayside town. Sennacherib of Assyria thoroughly destroyed the an­
cient city in 689 b .c ., but Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar,
rebuilt it, again making it a great center of trade and industry.
In his book The Bible As History, Dr. Werner Keller says of Babylon
that “its ancient power and glory had no equal in the ancient world”
(page 289). N ot only was the city the center of wealth and industry but
also the center of religion. The name Babylon came from the word Babili,
meaning “gate of the gods,” It was first built by Nimrod, who founded
the Babylonian mystery religion at the time of the building of the tower
of Babel. The Scriptures speak of Nimrod as “a mighty hunter” (Gen­
esis 10:9). He was not only politically powerful but a rebel against
heaven. The name Nimrod means “he shall rebel.” TheJewish Encycbpedia
states that Nimrod was “he who made all the people rebellious against
God.” He was the priest-king of devil worship, and Babylon became
the headquarters of the mystery cults, a counterreligion.
The antithesis of all this was Jerusalem, which means “city of peace.”
This makes all the more remarkable the statement of Daniel 1:2: “The
Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s]
hand.” God designed this disciplinary action on His part to teach
Israel lessons they could learn no other way. Even when the seventy
years of the Jews’ Babylonian exile ceased and they returned to their
homeland, Jerusalem failed to regain the greatness it had formerly
enjoyed.
Babylon’s glory was also short lived. After only seventy years, it
passed into the hands of the Persian conqueror. The last king of
Babylon was slain in the midst of a royal banquet.

M edia -P ersia moves into world leadership

Those words, “after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to
thee” (Daniel 2:39), must have sounded strange to the king, for usually

49
the superior conquers the inferior. But just as silver is inferior to gold
in value, so the next universal kingdom, Media-Persia, was inferior to
Babylon in wealth and luxury. W hat Daniel actually said in Aramaic
was, “After thee shall arise another kingdom downward from thee,
earthward from thee.” It would be downward in quality, but earth­
ward in extent, occupying more land surface.
Persia, however, was known for her treasures of silver. Xerxes, a
prominent king of Persia, inherited immense hoards of silver from his
father, Darius Hystaspes. In Hebrew, as in all Semitic languages, the
word for money, keseph, is the same as is used for silver. In the Medo-
Persian Empire, reputedly, all taxes had to be paid in silver. Conse­
quently, the kings of this second empire grew extremely wealthy in
silver. The empire lasted abut two hundred years, from 539 to 332
B.C.
Then came a third kingdom of brass, or bronze. (The “brass” of
the KJV should be “bronze.”) This was the Greek Empire, which, by
a rapid series of conquests, replaced Media-Persia. The thighs and
abdomen of the image were of this material— a forecast of the “brazen
coated Greeks” as they were called. This was the third Gentile power
to “bear rule over all the earth” (Daniel 2:39). The Greeks were ex­
perts in the molding of bronze. The soldiers wore breastplates of
bronze, helmets of bronze, and carried shields of bronze. They carried
bronze swords.

A lexander builds the G reek E mpire

Alexander the Great, son of King Philip of Macedon, showed
signs of genius even when a teenager. His father procured for him the
best possible tutor, the great philosopher Aristotle. Alexander kept in
close touch with his teacher throughout all his military campaigns. By
the time he was twenty-five he had the world at his feet, but he never
really conquered himself.
Returning with his troops from India, he reached Babylon, in­
tending to make that city his world capital. His men were active in a
great building program when one of his favorite generals died. This so
grieved Alexander that it is said he drank the intoxicating “cup of
Hercules.” This brought on a very high fever, and he died in his wife’s

50
aims in 332 b . c . He conquered the world in eight short years but
slipped into silence at the age of thirty-three.
Realizing that their leader had only hours to live, his generals
asked, “To whom will you give the kingdom?”
“To the strongest,” he replied.
The leading generals tested their strength against each other. “So
Alexander . . . died. And his servants bore rule every one in his place.
And after his death they all put crowns upon themselves. So did their
sons after them many many years; and evils were multiplied in the
earth” (1 Maccabees 1:7-9). The Greek Empire was plunged into a
state of turmoil and civil war lasting about three decades. The king­
dom finally disintegrated and later succumbed to the armies of the
emerging power of Rome.

R ome rules the world

The Battle o f Pydna, June 22, 168 b . c ., marks the time when
Alexander’s homeland fell before the Romans. Thus the empire of
Alexander, which had already begun to crumble before Roman pres­
sure, was whittled down, piece by piece, until Rome ruled the Medi­
terranean world and beyond to Britain in the north.
“The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron
breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh
all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise” (Daniel 2:40).
For more than five hundred years Rome seemed almost uncon­
querable. Her standards waved from the British Isles to the Arabian
gulf, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic to
the Euphrates. Her Caesars were worshiped as gods, and by her invin­
cible will she made every country under her influence a prison house
for those who disagreed. The historian Edward Gibbon says, “To re­
sist [Rome] was fatal, and it was impossible to fly.” {The Decline and
Fall o f the Roman Empire, vol. 1, page 190.)
“Three-fifths of the population of the city of Rome were slaves,”
says Schlegel in his Philosophy o f History, page 261. They were just
chattels with a voice. It was as if the iron-shod god of war actually
bestrode the globe; with every step new currents of blood poured
forth. It was a regime of force and brute strength, but God can cause

51
“the wrath of man” to praise Him (Psalm 76:10). So in spite of man’s
roughshod cruelty, God was working out His plan.

R oman roads aid C hristianity

While the Greeks carried their language throughout the Near and
Middle East in preparation for the spread of the gospel, Rome built
roads from Palestine to Britain, making travel possible for the mes­
sengers of Christianity. Her enforcement of law, with her expensive
postal system, also aided the carrying of the news of salvation. Her
Pax Romana, with two centuries of relative stability in the Mediter­
ranean world, facilitated Christian evangelism. Paul wrote that the
message of Jesus had reached “every creature which is under heaven”
(Colossians 1:23).
The iron element in the metal image was not to last forever. It
stood on feet of clay with a mixture of iron. Daniel emphasized the
feet and toes, stating that the fourth empire would not be overthrown
by another universal empire but would be replaced by a collection of
smaller nations warring among themselves. How accurately history
fulfills prophecy!

E mpire divided into ten parts

“The iron monarchy of Rome,” to use Gibbon’s expression, was
broken into fragments by barbarian tribes, so that by a . d . 476 the
strong empire was broken and western Europe was divided into ten
parts. These were the Lombards, the Alemanni, the Anglo-Saxons, the
Ostrogoths, the Burgundians, the Franks, the Suevi, the Vandals, the
Visigoths, and the Heruli. These were actually the progenitors of the
nations of modern Europe— some strong, others weak, as indicated
by the mixture of iron and clay. But the most important feature of
this strange combination was their inability to adhere or unite. D ur­
ing fifteen centuries, strong dictators have tried to weld them and
build a facsimile of the old Roman Empire. While at times they neared
their goal, they always failed. Think of Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis
XIV, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Adolph Hitler— all of whom tried
and failed. Something mysterious seemed to block the way. Seven
words of prophecy stood between them and success. The Scripture

52
says, “They shall not cleave one to another” (Daniel 2:43). Treaties,
peace pacts, agreements of all kinds have been signed, sealed— and
broken. As many as 4,568 treaties and international agreements were
submitted before the old League of Nations between May 10, 1920,
and May 19, 1939. But the treaties did not prevent W orld War II.

A ttempts to avert war

Daniel said to the astonished king, “As you saw the iron and clay
mixed, so shall they be mixed in marriage, but they will not hold to­
gether, just as iron does not mix with clay” (verse 43, Berkeley Re­
vised). Before the global war of 1914-1918 most European monarchs
were related by marriage, but that, too, proved an ineffectual amal­
gam. The alliances based on marriage bonds dissolved in the crucible
of war.
Today we witness ongoing attempts to weld fragmented Europe,
the nations that once formed the Roman Empire. The Common M ar­
ket was one such effort, as is the European Union of the present day.
These have tried to unify the monetary systems, weights and mea­
sures, and military equipment of the different European nations. They
have made efforts to establish a central government similar to the
federal government of the United States of America. The hope of
many leaders in Europe has been that sweeping changes together with
the standardizing of antitrust laws, transport rates, wage levels, and
business and consumer taxes will lead to a politically united Europe.
The Vatican, world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church,
has been prominent in these attempts to weld the nations of Europe
into a common union. Centuries ago, when the Roman Empire broke
up into fragmentary kingdoms, the Holy See soon saw an unusual
opportunity to exercise political control. Through the Holy Roman
Empire, a totally artificial conglomerate, and by interference in other
national governments, the papacy dominated European affairs for
more than a thousand years. However, the Protestant Reformation in
the sixteenth century and weaknesses within the church began to
erode papal control. So when General Berthier of Napoleon’s army
took Pope Pius VI prisoner in 1798, the era of papal Rome’s political
supremacy came to an end. As John the revelator foretold, this religio-

53
political power received a “deadly wound” or death stroke (Revelation
13:3). But the same verse also said that the wound would be healed
and then all the world would wonder with great admiration. We see
today the recovery of that power. It was Napoleon who said, “There
will be no repose in Europe until it is under one emperor whose offi­
cers would be kings.”
Napoleon actually planned to bring this about. But as H. M. S.
Richards, Sr., said, “He was smashing his fists against God’s prophe­
cy. ‘They shall not cleave one to another’ ” (One World, page 179).
Napoleon met his Waterloo and died in exile a crushed and defeated
man as were all the others who tried unite Europe into a single empire
and thus prove Daniel’s prophecy false.
W hen this great prophetic outline was first interpreted to Nebu­
chadnezzar, he was looking into the future, scarcely any of which had
been fulfilled. But today we look back over twenty-five hundred years
and see each segment of the prophecy remarkably fulfilled. How ac­
curately history has met the prophetic forecast! All that is left is the
last great event— the ushering in of the eternal kingdom of glory. O ur
next chapter unfolds the climactic events which will bring an end to
human history and usher in the promised new heaven and new earth
where disease and death, lawlessness and war, will never be known.
W ould you be ready if that kingdom were to come today? Right now
you can be quietly accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and coming
King.

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 How impressive are the words of Daniel, the Hebrew captive, to
the young King Nebuchadnezzar:

“As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and
it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them
in pieces; then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and
the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like
the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried
them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But
the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and
filled the whole earth.
“This is the dream; now we will tell the king its interpreta­
tion. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of
heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and
the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they
dwell, the sons of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of
the air, making you rule over them all— you are the head of
gold. After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you,
and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all
the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron,
because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things; and like
iron which crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as
you saw the feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of
iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the firmness
of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the miry
clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly
clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will mix
with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together,
just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those

55
 kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall
never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another
people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring
them to an end, and it shall stand forever; just as you saw that
a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that
it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and
the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall
be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure”
(Daniel 2:34-45, RSV, emphasis supplied).

Imagine the thoughts that must have surged through the mind of
Nebuchadnezzar as Daniel came to the climax of his interpretation—
“after thee . . . another kingdom” and “yet a third kingdom” until the
mighty monarchy of Rome appears. But even that great empire was
not to last. Just as the prophecy indicated, it broke up as the barbaric
invasions divided Europe into ten major fragments.
Then the king saw a stone coming from somewhere and smashing
against the feet of clay and iron. Afterward the whole thing crumbled
to pieces, and a hurricane carried it away. Strangest of all, the stone
that struck the image “became a great mountain and filled the whole
earth” (verse 35).
W hat can it all mean? W hat is the stone cut out of the mountain
without hands that grew until it filled the whole earth? The coming
universal kingdom will not be founded by ingenious men, but by the
mighty God. It is called the stone kingdom, and the Scriptures have
much to say about this stone. W hen Jacob, in God’s name, blessed his
son Joseph, he said, “His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his
hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob:
(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel)” (Genesis 49:24).
Here the stone is linked with the Shepherd of Israel. And when
our Lord answered a question put to Him by the chief priests and
scribes, He quoted Psalm 118:22, 23, saying, “W hat is this then that
is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become
the head of the corner?” Then He added, “Whosoever shall fall upon
that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will
grind him to powder” (Luke 20:17, 18).

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C hrist , the stone
More than a hundred years before Daniel’s day the prophet Isaiah
wrote, “Therefore thus saith the Lord G o d , Behold, I lay in Zion for
a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure
foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” (Isaiah 28:16). O r
as Moffatt translates it, “will never flinch.” The apostle Paul includes
that scripture in his discourse to the Romans, speaking of Christ as “a
stumblingstone and rock of offence.” But he adds, “Whosoever be­
lieveth in him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 9:33). Peter also quotes
Isaiah, applying the same text to Christ, doubtless remembering the
occasion when Jesus asked the disciples for their definition of Him.
Peter had replied, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
To which our Lord replied, “Upon this rock I will build my church”
(Matthew 16:16-18). That is, upon the deity of the Son of God so
clearly confessed by Simon Peter. Upon that solid rock of truth the
church is established.
W riting to the Corinthian believers, Paul reminds them that Is­
rael “did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same
spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them: and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:3, 4). Yes, our
Lord is the rock, or the stone, cut out “without hands.” Human gen­
eration neither fashioned His substance nor caused His appearing in
the flesh. He had a human mother, but no human father. He was
sired not by a human male, but by the Spirit of God and conceived by
the virgin Mary. Seven hundred years before His birth Isaiah wrote,
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”
(Isaiah 7:14).

C hrist born of a virgin

Matthew, the inspired narrator of the “kingdom messages” of
Jesus, applies this prophecy to Christ. And why not? Thousands of
years before our Lord’s birth, the promise of God to Adam and Eve
was that the woman’s seed would bruise the head of Satan; victory
would come through Him. (See Genesis 3:15.) How the old rabbis
pored over this statement of Scripture. W hat could it mean— the seed

57
of a woman? God, to our first parents, said clearly, “The seed of the
woman will crush Satan’s head.” N ot until Jesus was born of a virgin
could we fully understand that promise.
Paul emphasizes that supreme miracle when he says, “But when
the fulness o f the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of
a wom an” (Galatians 4:4). N ote how precise the Scripture is; not
made of a man and a woman like the rest of us, but “made of a
w om an.” The hum an male had nothing to do with our Lord’s
birth. It was a physiological miracle to meet a physiological, psy­
chological, and desperate spiritual need— the redemption o f a lost
race.
That One born of Mary whose father is the Almighty God is “the
stone of Israel,” the spiritual rock, “a stone .. . cut out without hands”
(Daniel 2:34). That stone will strike the image on the feet, dashing it
to pieces, and then fill the whole earth.
Let us return to Daniel’s interpretation: “Whereas thou sawest the
feet and toes; part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall
be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, foras­
much as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of
the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be
partly strong, and partly broken [brittle, RSV]” verses 41, 42).
We have already noted the significance of that expression, “they
shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave
one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay” (verse 43). Those
words have stood the test of centuries. Time was when Queen Victoria
of England was the grandmother, and King Christian of Denmark
was the grandfather, of most of the crowned heads of Europe. But
after W orld W ar I, nearly all the monarchies of Europe had vanished.
Europe is still divided, some nations strong, others weak. Nothing on
earth can weld them into a permanent unity. They will remain di­
vided until the appearing of our Lord Jesus, who comes to reign for­
ever as a Kang of kings and Lord of lords.

W hen may we expect C hrist ’s return ?

Is there any way of knowing when we might expect our Lord to
come? Yes, there is. The same great prophecy of Daniel says that “in

58
the days of these kings [the divided nations of Europe] shall the God
of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed” (verse
44).
W hen the prophet speaks of “these kings,” he makes himself quite
clear. Some commentators suggest it might be the kings of the four
universal empires— Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. But
the stone does not strike the Babylonian head nor the Medo-Persian
breast and arms. It does not strike the Grecian thighs of brass or the
iron legs of Rome. It is to strike the feet and toes at the very time the
nations are trying desperately to unite divided Europe. It could well
be that in our generation the stone will strike and the kingdom of
God will come. Many other prophecies reveal that these are indeed
the latter days.
This prophecy thunders its message in our ears: There will be no
more world empires. Several times during the last two centuries it
seemed likely that the kingdoms of Europe would be welded together,
but every such effort has failed.

It looked as if N apoleon would conquer the civilized

world and the prophecy prove to be untrue. But the waters
o f the Berezina engulfed his battalions and the silent, soft
falling snow was a w inding sheet around half o f his army
that perished on the steppes of Russia. The other half of
his noble and gallant men lay w ith their bones bleaching
or their bodies buried on the plains o f W aterloo. T he au­
gust invincible emperor . . . [became] a refugee and an ex­
ile to die alone on the rocky island o f Helena. Why? Be­
cause God had said 600 years before C hrist and 2,500
years before N apoleon was born, that after the Roman em­
pire there would never be another universal dom inion (W.
A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on the Book o f Daniel, vol.
2, page 77).

Napoleon was not the stone that would shatter the kingdoms. But
there is a stone, a mystic, destroying stone, that will strike, leaving
nothing.

59
W hen the stone strikes
Bible prophecy not only makes clear when the stone shall strike,
but also how and what will happen. “It shall break in pieces and con­
sume all these kingdoms,” said the prophet, “and it shall stand for
ever” (verse 44). It will not be a gradual, imperceptible breaking. The
psalmist says, “O ur God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire
shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about
him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he
may judge his people” (Psalm 50:3, 4). The prophet John, catching a
vision of that glorious event, writes:

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled

together; and every m ountain and island were moved out
o f their places. And the kings o f the earth, and the great
men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the
mighty men, and every bondm an, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks o f the mountains;
And said to the m ountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide
us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day o f his wrath
is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:14—
17).

Some, however, will be able to stand, for we read:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in

trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be re­
moved, and though the mountains be carried into the midst
of the sea.. . . The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
he uttered his voice, the earth melted. . . . Come, behold
the works of the L o r d , what desolations he hath made in
the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the
earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
he burneth the chariot in the fire. . . . The L o r d of hosts is
with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge (Psalm 46:1, 2, 6, 8,
9,11).

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 How relevant are the words of our Lord, who said to the scribes
and Pharisees, “Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but
on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew
21:44).
The apostle Paul says,

The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his

mighty angels, . . . taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
W ho shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When
he shall come to be glorified in his saints (2 Thessalonians
1:7-10).

In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw what was left of all the earthly
powers blown away and no place found for them. “And the stone that
smote the image became [grew into] a great mountain and filled the
whole earth” (Daniel 2:35).
No more striking symbol could have been selected to impress the
Chaldean monarch. Centuries before Nebuchadnezzar and his illus­
trious father Nabopolassar came to power and rebuilt the ancient city
of Babylon, making it the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire,
Nippur was one of the chief cities of Babylonia; there was the shrine
of the Sumerian god Enlil, “god of the lands,” sometimes called “the
stone god.” The Amorite kings, of whom Hammurabi was chief, re­
placed the god Enlil with Marduk, or Merodach, who then became
the supreme god of Babylon. Enlil was no longer the god of lordship
and the lands. In fact, he is pictured as bestowing on Marduk his fa­
vor and place of honor and “his own title, ‘Lord of the lands.’ . . .
From this time forward Merodach was looked upon as the ‘Enlil of
the gods.’ ” (Charles Boutflower, In and Around the Book o f Daniel,
page 95.)
Digging in the ruins of Babylon, archaeologists found the
name Shadu Rabu on many cuneiform inscriptions. This name
was originally associated with Enlil, and his main temple in the
ancient city o f N ippur meant “a great m ountain.” This was known

61
as “the house of the great m ountain o f the land.” N ippur was rec­
ognized as the religious center of Babylonia. W hen Nebuchadnezzar’s
armies, centuries later, overran N ippur, they interpreted that as
evidence that M arduk, or Merodach, was stronger than Enlil. So
Nebuchadnezzar applied the name Shadu Rabu to M arduk, the
supreme god of Babylon.
Another meaning of Enlil was “lord of the storm” or “storm of
terrible strength.” In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat, the dragon of
chaos, was overcome by Marduk, who launched an attack against
her, sending against this god a “sevenfold wind or a whirlwind.” So
when Daniel spoke to Nebuchadnezzar about a great wind and a
great mountain, this was familiar language to the king. The young
Hebrew’s interpretation had a peculiar significance not only to the
king but also to any others who heard the explanation. The language
was most appropriate. No figures could possibly have been used that
could have had a greater influence. According to Jastrow, “the sa­
cred edifices of Babylonia were intended to be imitations of m oun­
tains.” Even “the earth itself’ was pictured as a “great m ountain”
(.Religion o f Babylonia and Assyria, M. Jastrow, 1898 ed., page
614).

M ystic stone kingdom soon to be established

The political sovereignty of the world, residing at that time in
Babylon, the head of gold, was to pass to others and then to still oth­
ers until at last the sovereignty of the God of heaven would replace the
powers of the whole world. The stone kingdom will be an everlasting
kingdom that shall never be destroyed, said Daniel. It will fill the
whole earth and stand unchallenged forever and ever.
King Nebuchadnezzar bowed before Daniel in reverent worship,
recognizing that Daniel’s God was indeed the God of the universe.
He said, “O f a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord
of kings, and a revealer of secrets” (Daniel 2:47). Daniel was made
“regent over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all
the wise men of Babylon” (verse 48, NEB).
Think of this brilliant young Chaldean king, master of a great
empire, bowing reverently in worship because of what had been re­

62
vealed to him. Is the same kind of reverent response in our hearts as
we review this prophecy? We are twenty-five centuries removed
rrom the scene, and the stone kingdom that will replace the king­
doms of this world is about to be established. If that kingdom of
glory were to be ushered in now, would we be ready? Could we take
our place as citizens of heaven, members of the family of God? If
not, then let us settle that question right now, before we read any
rarther.
In these tremendous days when thousands are turning from dark­
ness to light and accepting our Lord as Savior and coming King, let us
decide that at all costs we will be among those to whom the Lord will
sav, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).
 reason. Trial, and Triumph
The story of the Babylonian protestors who were thrown into the
furnace is well known. While many today regard the story as legend,
yet the writer of the New Testament epistle to the Hebrews includes
it in his list of evidences of faith. Referring to Daniel and his three
companions, the writer mentions those “who through faith . . .
quenched the violence of fire” and also “stopped the mouth of lions.”
These individuals of faith also “wrought righteousness, [and] obtained
promises” (Hebrews 11:33, 34). An inspired New Testament record,
therefore, seals these accounts as true.
These are more than children’s stories. They are revelations of God’s
power to deliver His servants who put their trust in Him. The central
figure in the story of the fiery furnace is neither the king nor the coura­
geous Hebrews, but the Son of God, whom the king saw walking in the
fire. What marvelous overtones there are in this narrative! Paul probably
had such experiences in mind when he wrote, “For whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
W hen the king of Babylon set up his golden image on the plain
of Dura, his reputation as conqueror and ruler had been established.
N o date is known for the episode of the great image, but it cer­
tainly occurred after Nebuchadnezzar was firmly established on his
throne. Earlier the king had heard the interpretation of the dream
of the metallic image, showing that the head of gold represented
Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom.
During the years since the dream Nebuchadnezzar had conquered
other kingdoms. He was a real success. There is no record that he ever
lost a battle. Pride and ambition now urged him to erect a monument
to his own greatness, which would impress the world that Babylon
would be indestructible— a kingdom that would break in pieces other
kingdoms and stand forever.

64
 Tfeason, Trial, and Triumpli
A few years ago archaeologists discovered a mound on which are
found the remains of a rectangular brick structure. Some believe this
might well have been the base of this huge golden image. The mea­
surements recorded in Daniel are given in the sexagesimal system. It
was sixty cubits (about ninety feet) high including the base, and six
cubits (nine feet) broad. The Babylonians used this system founded
on the number sixty. It is divisible by twelve factors, in contrast with
our system founded on the number one hundred, which is divisible
by only nine factors. We still follow the sexagesimal system in the
measurement of time (and angles)— sixty seconds make a minute,
sixty minutes an hour (or a degree).

Gathering of administrators
Administrative leaders attending this great ceremony came from
many parts of the growing empire. The occasion was a dedication
ceremony. Although not primarily a religious gathering, religion
played an important role in almost everything the Babylonians did.
No priests or philosophers or astrologers are mentioned as being pres­
ent, but the governors, captains, judges, treasurers, counselors, and
rulers of provinces were required to attend. This pageant was designed
to impress everybody with the glory of Babylon.
At the time of the dream of Daniel 2, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, the three Hebrews mentioned in the story, had been ap­
pointed as administrative leaders. (See Daniel 2:49.) Thus they were
present at the ceremony. And there was no mistaking the royal order:
~ ‘W hen you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bag­
pipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the
golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; and whoever
does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burn­
ing fiery furnace’ ” (Daniel 3:4-6, RSV).
Refusal to obey the king’s order was treason. The situation was
important, and the atmosphere tense. To understand the real issues
involved, we must see this as one of the unusual ways God chose to
reveal truth to Babylon.
That day on the plain of Dura two invisible powers met head on—
the power of earthly ambition inspired by the prince of darkness and

3— U. D. R. 65
the power of love revealed in the lives of men dedicated to truth and
righteousness. The charge brought against these men as recorded in
verse 12 is revealing. It is easy to see a spirit of jealousy moving some to
say to the king, “Certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the
province . . . have not regarded thee.” A herald had summoned all “peo­
ple, nations, and languages” (verse 4) to heed the mandate and bow in
homage before the golden image, a symbol of man’s greatness. This the
loyal Hebrews could not conscientiously do. They held in respect the
king, as is shown in their reply. But they had to protest.
Nebuchadnezzar was embarrassed and outraged. He ordered the
three men to appear before him. He had never had cause to doubt
their loyalty before. He knew, of course, that they did not worship his
gods. From his point of view he was not really asking them to aban­
don the worship of their God. All that he required was that they bow
in recognition of his symbol of the fact that Babylon was the greatest
and most enduring power on earth. But these men recognized a greater
power— that of Jehovah.
To disobey the king’s order was treason punishable by death. But
Nebuchadnezzar, eager to spare their lives, offered to give them an­
other chance. They did not need another chance. The issue was per­
fectly plain to them. So they courteously replied, “We would not
make any defense in this matter; for the God whom we serve is able
to save us” (verse 16, 17, Berkeley). They knew that God would de­
liver them either from death or in death.
W hat a marvelous example of faith in the living God! They rested
their case with Him. More than a hundred years earlier the prophet
Isaiah had penned the promise, “W hen thou passest through the wa­
ters, I will be with thee; . . . when thou walkest through the fire, thou
shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isaiah
43:2). W rapped in such a promise, they could give their witness con­
fidently.
If we put ourselves in the place of Nebuchadnezzar, we can ap­
preciate his problem. To have permitted these men to defy him would
have seriously affected his standing as ruler. His position before the
world was at stake. He commanded the furnace to be heated seven
times hotter than usual, and that these men dressed in all their rega-

66
lia— their trousers, shirts, mantles, and turbans— be bound and
hurled into the flames. Moreover, the strongest men of the army were
chosen for the grim execution. Picked up like living logs, these protes­
tors were tossed into the blazing furnace. The flame “slew those men
who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego” (verse 22).
That has p u t an end to the matter, Nebuchadnezzar no doubt
thought. But when man has done his worst, God can always add a
final chapter. And what a chapter it was! In his fury Nebuchadnezzar
had challenged Jehovah: “W ho is that God that shall deliver you out
of my hands?” (verse 15). But he did not realize the power he was op­
posing. In a matter of minutes this autocratic king got the revelation
of his life. He saw the God that he had defied walking in the fire with
His three faithful servants. That was a theophany, a preincarnate ap­
pearance of our Lord who later was born in Bethlehem.
Not only did the king see this miracle, but so also did his adminis­
trative leaders— governors, rulers, treasurers, counselors. The fire that
slew the executioners had no power over the men they thought to de­
stroy. N ot a hair of their head was singed, nor was the smell of fire upon
them (verse 27). Only the cords that bound them were burned.
Moving nearer the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar called to them, “Ye
servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither” (verse
26). “The most high God” was a reverent name evidently well known
to the king. The term “most high” is found eight times in the first five
chapters of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar had heard also about angels, for
later he confessed that God had “sent his angel, and delivered his
servants that trusted in him” (verse 28). These men had yielded their
bodies but not their wills. We get a glimpse of Nebuchadnezzar as a
man with a certain greatness of soul, for he even rejoiced that his own
word had been changed. “There is no other God that can deliver after
this sort” (verse 29).
So overwhelmed was Nebuchadnezzar by this revelation of divine
power that he decided to go into partnership with this God. He even
made a decree granting recognition to the Hebrew religion, and he
pledged protection for the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Any who opposed H im should be “cut in pieces” (verse 29), as if
Jehovah needed hum an protection! The king published a royal

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document telling of this marvelous deliverance, and he sent this
throughout the empire. Thus the name and power of Jehovah were
proclaimed. This was God’s second message to Babylon.
The story ends in a doxology of praise, in an atmosphere of tol­
eration that prepared the way for God’s third message to Babylon.
This we will note in our next chapter. These brave men, instead of be­
ing destroyed, were promoted. Their humble courage in the face of
bitter opposition has inspired countless thousands throughout the
centuries. We do well to study the example of these noble men in
these days when loyalty is often regarded as obstinacy.
John Chrysostom was one of the great Greek church fathers. Born
in a .d . 347, he was brought before the emperor at an early age to an­
swer for his faith.
“If you persist in being a Christian,” said the emperor, “I will ban­
ish you from your father’s land.”
Chrysostom replied, “Your Majesty, you cannot; the whole world
is my Father’s land.”
“Then I will take away all your property.”
“You cannot do that either. My treasures are in heaven.”
“Then I will send you to a place where there will not be a friend
to speak to.”
“You cannot do that, for I have a Friend that sticketh closer than
a brother. I shall have my Brother Jesus Christ forever.”
The emperor said, “I will take away your life.”
“You cannot do that either. My life is hid with Christ in God,”
Chrysostom replied.
That was not blind obstinacy. It was faith— “the faith of Jesus”
(Revelation 14:12) that will characterize the last witness of God’s true
church on earth. We need such faith today.
As boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been brought up
on the Ten Commandments, the first of which says, “Thou shah have
no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The second is an expression
of the first. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. . . .
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the
L o r d thy God am a jealous God” (verses 4, 5). Now they were men—
governors of provinces in the empire of Babylon.

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 W hen they had arrived in Babylon, the king changed their
names, but he could not change their devotion to the living God.
They were members of a conquered race, and, when they appeared
before Nebuchadnezzar, they realized that they were standing be­
fore the conqueror. Yet they were unconquerable. Having seen by
faith the face of God, they need not fear the face of man. As we read
the story in Daniel, chapter 3, we note that their names are repeated
thirteen times in this one chapter. There was no mistaking the three
to whom the king was speaking. Everyone present knew who these
men were. All eyes turned to witness men who would dare to dis­
obey the king. But before the day ended, the whole retinue of
Babylonian leaders knew that with these Hebrews there was no
compromise.
It is easy in such a situation to rationalize. Some might have rea­
soned that a simple genuflection was little enough to do for a king
who had treated them so kindly. Others might say in the words of
Solomon, “A living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4).
But these men could not compromise, for they were first God’s servants,
and second servants of Nebuchadnezzar. We can almost hear them
reciting the words of Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve
the L o r d ” (Joshua 24:15). O r the words of David, “My heart is fixed,
O God, my heart is fixed” (Psalm 57:7).
They knew God could deliver them; however, they went on to
add, “But if not— ” (Daniel 3:18). How hard those words are to say!
God does not always intervene in such a miraculous way. And we can
well imagine the emotions of these men as the fire was heated seven
times hotter, and the assembled host expected the end of these “stub­
born” Jews. W hat a surprise awaited that crowd!
In setting up this image, all of gold, Nebuchadnezzar was chal­
lenging God’s plan of history as revealed in the dream of four succes­
sive empires and the final establishment of God’s everlasting king­
dom. Babylon’s king was determined that his kingdom would
continue; the golden kingdom was to endure forever.
But God’s deliverance of His servants “changed the king’s word”
(verse 28), as He can change any and all who challenge His right to
rule.

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 u u U

We have already noticed that the book of Daniel is an apocalyptic

book, divided equally between history and prophecy. It is not a com­
plete history of Babylon or the captive Jews, for it touches only those
events that definitely affected the people of God. The whole Bible fol­
lows this pattern. The first eleven chapters of Genesis cover the cre­
ation of the world, the fall of man, the destruction of the world by
flood. Then the record touches the development of philosophies such
as that which led to the building of the tower of Babel, which led men
far away from God. Chapters 12 to 28 trace the history of Abraham
and Isaac. The last twenty-two chapters give the history of Jacob and
his family, especially of Joseph.
Secular history is not usually presented this way. While there is
much history in the Bible, the whole purpose of the sacred Book is to
reveal the gospel of salvation to men. God’s purpose through Abra­
ham’s posterity was “to carry true religion to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1,
Moffatt). To accomplish this, the Tord used not only the faithful wit­
ness of His people but even the scattering of Israel and Judah.
Gentile nations overran Palestine during the sixth and seventh
centuries b .c ., Assyria taking Israel into captivity and Babylon over­
throwing Judah. We might wonder if anything good could come out
of such conquests. But wherever Israel and Judah were scattered, they
carried with them some knowledge of the true God.

N ebuchadnezzar in varied roles

In the first three chapters of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar is por­
trayed as a conqueror, an autocrat, and a builder. But in the fourth chapter
we find him a converted servant of the most high God. More is recorded
in sacred history about this man than perhaps any other Gentile ruler. In
Daniel, chapter 3, we saw Nebuchadnezzar as an autocrat defying the
God of heaven. But the monarch’s word was changed. Years later in the

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document preserved in Daniel, chapter 4, he says, “I . . . was at rest, . . .
flourishing in my palace” (verse 4). And that was no mere figure of speech.
This proud conqueror and prouder architect had accomplished much.
The royal document recorded in chapter 4 he sent throughout the lands
under his authority. In this he related his own experience.
His conquests were at an end. The empire was consolidated. The
city of Babylon was adorned with lofty palaces. He had created one of
the seven wonders of the ancient world— the hanging gardens, built
in his wife’s honor. The city contained 53 dedicated temples, 955
smaller sanctuaries, and 384 altars. Werner Keller describes “Babylon
as an international center of trade, industry, and commerce” {The
Bible as History, page 297).

N ebuchadnezzar , the builder

Nebuchadnezzar’s last campaign against Egypt ended his military
career. God gave him Egypt as “wages for his army” because of the
service he rendered against Tyre. His siege against Tyre lasted thirteen
years. The Scripture says:

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve

a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and
every shoulder was peeled: yet he had no wages, nor his army,
for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: There­
fore thus saith the Lord G o d ; Behold, I will give the land of
Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; . . . and it shall
be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt
for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they
wrought for me, saith the Lord G o d (Ezekiel 29:18-20).

Apparently Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt and carried away

rich booty. From all the conquered countries, including Judah and
the other nations of that area, he brought gold and art treasures to
adorn the city of Babylon, hailed as “the golden city” and “the glory
of the kingdoms” (Isaiah 14:4; 13:19). There was much to admire in
Nebuchadnezzar. To those who accepted his rule, he was beneficent.
The Jewish captives he treated kindly. Jeremiah, the prophet of God,

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counseled the refugees to “build . . . houses” and “plant gardens” and
to “seek the peace of the city” (Jeremiah 29:5-7).
The area around Babylon was devoid of stone. Nebuchadnezzar
therefore made Babylon the center of the greatest brick-making in­
dustry of his times. This ruler became one of the greatest builders of
antiquity. Boutflower says, “He seems to have been possessed with a
perfect rage for building” (page 68).

N ebuchadnezzar as woodsman
One of Nebuchadnezzar’s royal inscriptions reads, “I made the in­
habitants of the Lebanon live in safety together and let nobody disturb
them” (James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, page 307).
The monarch of Babylon was particularly fond of great cedars,
which he brought all the way from the mountains of Lebanon. He
regarded the forests of Lebanon as the possession of his Babylonian
god Marduk. He tells us that he “cut through steep mountains” to
open up the way for “mighty cedars, high and strong” to be trans­
ported into Babylon (ibid.).
In the document preserved in Daniel, chapter 4, he says, “I . . . was
at rest” (Daniel 4:4). No longer was he leading his armies to victory, nor
was he building beautiful palaces. His developing days were over. Prob­
ably no single man ever left behind him as his memorial upon the earth
one-half the amount of building that was erected by this king.
Now for the story: The king again had an impressive dream. As
before, the dream left him deeply troubled. Calling the magicians, the
astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, he related the dream
to them. But again he was disappointed. They could give no interpre­
tation. Then “at the last Daniel came” (verse 8). Nebuchadnezzar’s
attitude toward Daniel is quite touching. He called him “master of
the magicians,” saying, “The spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no
secret troubleth thee” (verse 9).
The important events of this dream “made me afraid,” he said
(verse 5, RSV). Nebuchadnezzar afraid? He had conquered nations,
and yet this dream left him staggered. In the dream (see verses 10-17)
he saw an immense tree that seemed to reach to the end of the earth.
And under its branches the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven

72
found shelter. Then he heard a voice saying, “Hew down the tree, and
cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: . . .
Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a
band of iron and brass . . . : Let his heart be changed from man’s and
let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over
him” (verses 14-16). This declaration was to inform everyone that
"the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whom­
soever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (verse 17).
W hen Daniel heard the dream, he too was troubled. A whole
hour passed in silence. While the king was concerned, Daniel was
even more concerned, for during the two or three decades of working
together, these two men, the king and the prime minister, had be­
come close associates. At last the king said, “Let not the dream, or the
interpretation thereof, trouble thee” (verse 19). But Daniel knew the
interpretation would come as a shock, and thus his silence.

D aniel interprets the dream

The prophet begins: “My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee,
and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies” (verse 19). He has a
solemn message with a very personal application, and he must give it to
one for whom he has great regard. “It is thou, O king, that art grown
and become strong: for thy greatness is grown . . . to the end of the
earth.” Respectfully he adds, “And whereas the king saw a watcher and
an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down,
and destroy it; . . . and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till
seven times pass over him; This is the interpretation, O king, and this is
the decree of the most High” (verses 22-24).
Continuing, the statesman-prophet unfolded God’s message:
"They shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the
beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, . . .
and seven times [seven years] shall pass over thee, till thou know that
the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whom­
soever he will” (verse 25).
It was not easy to bear a clear prophetic message to this proud,
autocratic ruler. Daniel loved Nebuchadnezzar and doubtless had
been praying for many years that in some way this great general, this

73
great builder, this outstanding leader of men, would come to know
that the God of heaven rules. W hat a different world this would be if
the rulers of all nations recognized that, in spite of their greatness,
their power and prestige, a greater power is still in charge! The ever­
lasting God rules earth and heaven.

D aniel as friend , prophet , and evangelist

Now Daniel the prophet becomes Daniel the evangelist. Listen as
he pleads for this man’s soul: “Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be
acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and
thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthen­
ing of thy tranquility”— or as Moffatt says, “perhaps your prosperity
may be prolonged” (verse 27).
Many today, after hearing bad news, are sobered for a while. But
as the months pass, the Holy Spirit’s impressions are brushed aside.
So it was with Nebuchadnezzar— his heart was not transformed. He
still indulged a spirit of self-glorification, and perhaps even jested
about his former fears. To himself he said, “Babylon was built by me
alone, by my might, for my majesty.”

T he king ’s mind snaps

Exactly one year after Daniel’s appeal, while boasting of his great­
ness, the king’s mind suddenly snapped; he was a maniac. Unexpect­
edly, God struck down his proud impiety. His greatness and glory
meant nothing now. Said the voice, “The kingdom is departed from
thee” (verse 31).
Despite his position and his regal glory, he fled from the palace to
the field, smitten with madness, suffering from a disease known to
medical science as “lycanthropy” (lukos, “wolf,” and anthropos, “man”),
“a delusion that one has become or has assumed the characteristics of
a wolf or other predatory animal.” Is such a strange illness possible?
The Dictionary o f Psychological Medicine declares, “The complete loss
of personal identity and the conviction of being changed into one of
the lower animals . . . is one of the most remarkable facts in psycho­
logical history that the race reveals” (quoted in Studies o f the Book o f
Daniel, by Dr. Robert Dick Wilson, pages 286, 287).

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N ebuchadnezzar returns to the throne
Daniel was probably there when the king lost his reason, and thus
was able to counsel those responsible for affairs of state. He knew just
how long it would be until the king’s mind would be restored. But let
Nebuchadnezzar tell the story. One of the most remarkable passages
in all the Bible is Daniel 4:34-37, where the king says, “At the end of
the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine
understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I
praised and honoured him” (verse 34). W hat a change! No longer did
he consider himself a beast; he was a man!
How did Nebuchadnezzar know he had reached “the end of the days”?
During those years he had had no knowledge of time or human responsi­
bilities. In his royal document he says, “My counsellors and my lords
sought unto me” (verse 36). Naturally, his counselors would surround him
after he was reinstated, but let us imagine the part Daniel must have played
in the affairs of the government during those long years of waiting!

T he king comes home

Knowing the purpose of God, the prophet-statesman doubtless
looked forward to the time when the king would return in his right
mind. The queen also may have helped preserve the nation. She was a
princess from the mountain region of Media, and on this lady the
king had lavished much. He built the “hanging gardens” for her
pleasure. But now “at the end of the days,” what can the queen and
the counselors expect? Will the king return? If so, how? It does not
take much imagination to see Daniel at the head of a chosen group
going to the field or the forest in search of his friend.
Knowing the king’s haunts, Daniel makes his way till he finally lo­
cates him. W ith a prayer of praise to God that the seven years are at an
end, he walks up to this creature who, though human, has thought of
himself as an animal. Daniel lifts his eyes heavenward as he addresses
God, the same God who has answered his prayers during the twenty or
thirty years since he first faced King Nebuchadnezzar. But what a contrast
now! This beastlike human is covered with filth, his matted hair dangling
on the ground, and his nails grown like birds’ claws— a repulsive sight.
But now Nebuchadnezzar lifts his eyes to heaven and opens his heart to

75
the God of gods whose “dominion is an everlasting dominion . . . : And
all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing” (verses 34, 35). He
begins to realize that the living God “doeth according to his will in the
army of heaven [the angels], and among the inhabitants of the earth: and
none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (verse 35).
Having been exposed to the elements for years, Nebuchadnezzar
is a strange sight. But his heart is radiant and joyful. “Now I
Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven,
all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that
walk in pride he is able to abase” (verse 37).
How wonderful that a heathen autocrat could learn the saving truth
of righteousness by faith! Daniel, who had prayed for this man’s salva­
tion for many years, now has the joy of witnessing his conversion.

B abylon’s spirit in today ’s world

In the dream Nebuchadnezzar had seen the stump of the tree bound
by two bands, one of iron, the other of brass. In the metallic image of
chapter 2, we reflect that the brass represented Greece, and the iron,
Rome. The tree Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream represented not only
the king as a person, but Babylon as a system. Daniel’s interpretation
emphasized that the influence of Babylon’s kingdom reached “to the
end of the earth” (verse 22). The spirit of Babylon that began under
Nimrod’s rulership some sixteen centuries earlier with the building of
the tower of Babel, and also a number of important cities (see Genesis
10:12; 11:1-9), had spread out and gripped the whole world. And that
spirit did not die with Nebuchadnezzar. Even today’s world is under
the strong influence of the mystery religions of ancient Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar’s royal document was sent to “all people, na­
tions, and languages” (verse 1). This may be thought of as hyperbole,
but the influence of Babylon was doubtless felt in many of the uncon­
quered lands. The king said, “For the glory of my kingdom, mine
honour and brightness returned unto me; . . . I was established in my
kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me” (verse 36).
Concluding, he gives his own personal testimony, a doxology,
“Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of
heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those

76
chat walk in pride he is able to abase” (verse 37). N ot only does he
recognize the justice of his affliction, but he praises the God of truth
for His mercy and justice. This sobered, converted king ruled for per­
haps two years before he passed to his rest.
The genuineness of his conversion is seen by his willingness to tell
the story, including the details of his own folly and the marvelous grace
of the everlasting God. How wonderful that God by His grace could
take a seemingly hopeless case like this proud king and make him a
member of the family of God! When God undertakes to abase our
pride and lay human glory in the dust, that is truly a work of creation
just as when He brought this earth from chaos to beauty. All this is
portrayed in this unusual royal document. Will it not be a privilege in
the coming kingdom of glory to fellowship with Nebuchadnezzar and
hear from the man himself the story of God’s patience and love?

W orldly wisdom rejects the gospel

Twenty-seven years after Nebuchadnezzar died, the empire of Baby­
lon passed away forever. The Babylonian principles, however, were not
uprooted when the empire fell, but were preserved by the Greeks and the
Romans. Greece became the home of great philosophers, educators, art­
ists, and sculptors, but God as Creator and Sustainer was not recognized
in it all. The Greeks sought to develop a super race. Sculpture reached its
highest point in Athens, with special reverence for the human form. “A
mutilated body is an impertinency,” the Greeks said. No wonder it was
so difficult to reach the Greek mind with the gospel of a crucified Christ.
How, they reasoned, could One who permitted Himself to be taken by
His enemies be man’s Savior? So the people of Paul’s day turned away
from the saving grace of Christ. The apostle Paul observed that “the
world by wisdom knew not God” (1 Corinthians 1:21).
Rome’s contribution to culture was more in the field of law and
government. W hat philosophy they had came largely from Greece.
Like Babylon’s rule, Rome’s rule was also autocratic. The world be­
came a prison from which there was no escape.
“History repeats itself,” we say, and that seems to be true. Much
that characterized ancient Babylon is being reenacted in our day. In
Revelation 13:15 we read of the “beast” (modern Babylon) and its

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“image” (apostate Christianity) uniting to oppose God’s people in the
last days. In the name of human development and international peace,
demands will be made on all the world to worship the beast and its
image. Those who refuse will face a death decree. But the same God
who delivered His ancient servants who put their trust in Him will
deliver His people in the final worldwide test.

D aniel speaks to our day

N ot only the prophecies of Daniel but also the historic sections
have special meaning for us in these days. Well did the apostle Paul
say, “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures
might have hope” (Romans 15:4). This counsel from Ellen White
should challenge every lover of God’s Word:

There is need of a much closer study of the word of God; es­

pecially should Daniel and the Revelation have attention as never
before in the history of our work. We may have less to say in some
lines, in regard to the Roman power and the papacy; but we should
call attention to what the prophets and apostles have written un­
der the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit has
so shaped matters, both in the giving of the prophecy and in the
events portrayed, as to teach that the human agent is to be kept
out of sight, hid in Christ, and that the Lord God of heaven and
His law are to be exalted. Read the book of Daniel. Call up, point
by point, the history of the kingdoms there represented. Behold
statesmen, councils, powerful armies, and see how God wrought
to abase the pride of men, and lay human glory in the dust.. . .
The light that Daniel received from God was given espe­
cially for these last days. The visions he saw by the banks of the
Ulai and the Hiddekel, the great rivers of Shinar, are now in
process of fulfillment, and all the events foretold will soon have
come to pass ( Testimonies to Ministers, pages 112, 113).

May the Spirit of God, who inspired these records, guide us as we

further study these prophecies.

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 mwand Babylon's Fa
Was there ever such a man as Belshazzar, or is he just a legendary
ngure? For many years some regarded him as a fictitious character.
But today, thanks to archaeology, we know not only that he existed
but that he and his father Nabonidus were vital characters in the un­
folding story of nations.
The fall of Babylon, one of the greatest and most beautiful cities
of ancient times, has left an indelible mark on history. The overthrow
of this Chaldean Empire by the Persians fulfilled a number of proph­
ecies well known to Daniel. Nothing that happened on that tragic
night recorded in Daniel 5 came as a surprise to him. He knew what
Isaiah and Jeremiah had foretold concerning the city. Some of these
prophecies we will notice in detail later, but first the story of Babylon’s
fall.
Nabonidus, Belshazzar’s father, ascended the throne in 555 B.C.;
he made Belshazzar a co-ruler in about 553 b .c . Nabonidus, more of
a scholar than a military leader, has been called “the first archaeolo­
gist.” His inscriptions indicate that he was also deeply religious.
Belshazzar was reckless and defiant. At the time the city fell he was
engaging in a wild party with a thousand of his lords. Babylon’s fall
brought an end to a dynasty that had started so promisingly.

B elshazzar’s defiant feast

That hilarious night of drunkenness and idolatry was, according
to the famous Nabonidus Chronicle in the British Museum, the eve
of the great day of celebration— the sixteenth of Tishri. Belshazzar’s
defiance of the God of heaven reached an all-time high on that occa­
sion. W hen liquor had dethroned reason, he commanded that the
sacred vessels of Jehovah, which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had
brought from Jerusalem, be produced for use at the drunken celebra­
tion. From these holy vessels of God, Belshazzar and his guests drank
the unholy wine of Babylon. The number of these gold and silver ves­
sels, according to Ezra 1:7, 8, 11 was fifty-four hundred.
Entrenched behind tremendously high walls and surrounded by a
deep moat, as described by Herodotus after his visit to the ruined city,
Belshazzar felt confident that no enemy could possibly enter. He may
have planned this feast to express his defiance of the advancing army
of the Persians. W hy should he be concerned? This city was invincible,
so he thought. It had an endless supply of water from the broad River
Euphrates, which flowed through the center of the city. It had endless
supplies of grain. It could grow ample produce inside the city, aided
by irrigation. W ith alluvial soil and wonderful weather, the gardens
could produce three crops each year.
But while Belshazzar drank and praised the gods of gold and silver
and wood and bronze, he did not know that his father Nabonidus was
fleeing precipitously toward Arabia. For a kingdom to last, it must be
established on justice and righteousness. This orgiastic festival of im­
piety and immorality brought divine judgment with a suddenness
that threw the whole party into consternation. Never till the moment
when men or nations have filled the cup of their iniquity does God
strike. Israel’s possession of the land of Canaan had been delayed be­
cause “the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full” (Genesis 15:15,
16). But Babylon’s cup was full to overflowing.

L etters of fire o n the palace wall

God bore long with the wickedness of this land, but the fateful
moment came when Belshazzar stood before his lords and raised one
of God’s sacred cups, drinking to the gods of Babylon. While all eyes
were upon the king, the assembled crowd witnessed the most startling
spectacle. O ut of the sleeve of darkness appeared fingers like those of
a man’s hand, which wrote on the wall, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN” (Daniel 5:25).
The revelers hushed into silence. Was this a message of doom
from another world? Was it a token of ill omen? The king called
loudly for the magicians, the astrologers, the soothsayers, and the
Chaldeans to explain. But they could neither read the writing nor
interpret its message.

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 In the midst of the consternation, in came the queen mother, pos­
sibly Nitocris, daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. She reminded her blas­
phemous son that while the wise men could not read the writing, one
in the realm could not only read the writing but also interpret it. “Let
Daniel be called,” she said. She remembered the part this messenger
of God had played during the long reign of Nebuchadnezzar and how
he had led him at last to accept the most high God. She also knew that
more than sixty years earlier Daniel had stood before Nebuchadnezzar
and unfolded the future of the world, declaring that Babylon would
pass away and another kingdom take its place.

D aniel interprets the message

When Daniel appeared, the terrified monarch promised him gifts
and honor. Politely, the aged statesman-prophet told the king to give his
rewards to another. But “I will read the writing,” he said (verse 17). Be­
fore doing so, he reminded Belshazzar that it was the most high God
who had given his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, a kingdom that ex­
tended to “all people, nations, and languages” (verse 19). “But when his
heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed
from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: And he was
driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts,. . .
till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and
that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will” (verses 20, 21). Then,
fixing his eyes on the trembling king, Daniel delivered his message in the
presence of the assembled nobles. “And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast
not humbled thine heart, though thou kneivest all this; But hast lifted up
thyself against the Lord of heaven” (verses 22, 23, emphasis supplied).
Belshazzar was well aware of the family history. He must have
been about fourteen years old when Nebuchadnezzar died. But he
had stifled his conscience. Daniel continued, “They have brought the
vessels of his [the Lord’s] house before thee, and thou, and thy lords,
thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; . . . and the
God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast
thou not glorified. . . . Thou art weighed in the balances, and art
found wanting. . . . Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes
and Persians” (verses 23-28).

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 Even while Daniel was reading the writing, the Persian armies
were marching up the riverbed ready to enter the palace. Belshazzar’s
day had already passed. He had crossed the unseen barrier between
God’s mercy and His wrath and did not know it. He had sinned away
his day of grace.
How true are the words of the wise man, “Pride goeth before de­
struction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

T he king is dead
The Medo-Persian troops entered the banquet hall, and soon the
red blood of royalty mingled with the red wine of Babylon on the
pavement of the banquet hall. Edward Arnold’s well-known words fit
the occasion:

That night they slew him on his father’s throne,

The deed unnoticed and the hand unknown.
Crownless and scepterless, Belshazzar lay,
A robe of purple around a form of clay.

W hy could not the brilliantly educated Chaldeans read the writ­

ing? The medieval Jews believed the letters were probably placed in
the form of a rectangle like this:

M NA
MNA
TQL
PRS

The words are mene, “to number”; tekel, “to weigh”; peres, “divid­
ing,” or paras, “Persian.” Whatever the reason, the God of heaven
planned it in order that Daniel might give his final message. That
night Babylon fell to rise no more. How true are those words: “The
wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God”
(Psalm 9:17).
Two of Israel’s greatest prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, had not
only predicted the downfall of Babylon, they had enumerated many

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of the details as to how it would be accomplished. More than a hun­
dred years before Cyrus was born, God said through the prophet
Isaiah, “I will dry up thy rivers” (Isaiah 44:27). “Thus saith the L o r d
to his anointed, to Cyrus, . . . I will go before thee; . . . I will give
thee the treasures of darkness, . . . I have even called thee by thy
name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me”
(Isaiah 45:1-4).
Jeremiah, a century later than Isaiah, delivered this message from
God: “A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it
is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols” (Jer­
emiah 50:38). And again, “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the
L o r d ’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have

drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is sud­
denly fallen and destroyed. . . . We would have healed Babylon, but
she is not healed. . . . the L o r d hath raised up the spirit of the kings
of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it” (Jeremiah
51:7, 9, 11). The prophet further added, “A rumour shall both come
one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and vio­
lence in the land” (verse 46). These predictions were fulfilled in min­
ute detail. Guided by two deserters— whom Xenophon calls Gadatus
and Gobryas— the Persian conquerors made their way up the riverbed
without resistance.

C yrus delays his invasion

A “rum our” did come in one year that Cyrus was marching
toward Babylon, but he did not arrive. The reason? It is said that
while Cyrus was crossing the River Gyndes, one of his sacred white
horses drawing the chariot of Ormazd (or Ahura Mazda) was drowned.
Cyrus took revenge on the river, draining it into 360 channels. This
took months. N ot until the following year did the Persian conqueror
arrive at the borders of Babylon. Then he found the conquest very
different from the normal pattern. Werner Keller says, “It was with­
out a parallel in the military practice of the ancient Orient; for this
time there were no columns of smoke rising from behind shattered
walls, no temples or palaces razed to the ground, no house plundered,
no man was butchered or impaled” (The Bible as History, page 301).

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 In his own record Cyrus says, “As I entered Babylon in peace,
and established my royal residence in the palace of the princes amid
jubilation and rejoicing, M arduk [Babylon’s chief god], the great
lord, warmed the hearts o f the Babylonians towards me.” Then
Cyrus tells how he freed the people from the yoke of bondage and
repaired their houses, healing their afflictions. He closes by saying,
“I am Cyrus, king of all, the great king, the mighty king, king of
Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four corners of the
earth” (ibid.).

W ho was “D arius the M edian ”?

Cyrus the Persian is not named in chapter 5 of Daniel, but “Darius
the Median” is. W ho was Darius the Mede? There has been consider­
able discussion as to his identity. In the words of Josephus, he “had
another name among the Greeks” (Antiquities, X .l 1.4). Some say he
was Astyages, the last ruler of Media. Others say he was Gobryas,
the governor of Babylonia under Cyrus; or even Gubaru, another
governor. Still others believe he must have been Cyaxares II, son of
Astyages. Whoever he was, Daniel’s God recognized him and hon­
ored him, for Gabriel on one occasion was sent to Darius to “confirm
and strengthen him” (Daniel 11:1).
Frederick Tatford, D.D., has written that “the name Darius is not
itself a proper name, but an appellative which was borne by several
kings and means ‘the subduer’ ” ( The Climax o f the Ages, page 93). In
Daniel 9:1 he is called the son of Ahasuerus. Bishop Lowth comments
on this: “This is the same person who was called Cyaxares, the son
of Astyages by heathen historians with whom Josephus agrees. . . .
Astyages had the name Ahasuerus among the Jews as appears by the
passage in Tobit XIV, verse 15, where the taking of Ninevah is as­
cribed to . . . Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar’s father, and Astyages.”
Xinophon, the Greek writer, in his Cyropaedia, declares that Darius
the Mede was Cyaxares II and therefore the son of Astyages, after
whose death he became heir of the Median throne and was the last
ruler, in which case his sister was Mandane, the mother of Cyrus.
Keller informs us that Astyages, Cyrus’s grandfather, had two
dreams that greatly troubled him. He saw water flowing from his

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 B b Is Im i and Babylon's Fall
daughter and covering great areas of the country. Fearing this to be an
ill omen, he called his counselors, who assured him that the daughter’s
offspring was destined to overrun the whole land. Hearing that the
child born to Mandane was a boy, Astyages sent Harpagus, “the most
faithful of the Medes,” to destroy the baby. But this man did not have
the heart for murder. The child grew and was none other than Cyrus,
son of Cambyses, descendant of the royal race of Achaemenes. This
royal son was greatly admired from his boyhood. “His unparalleled
swift and brilliant rise to power was marred by no deed of violence,”
says Keller. “His able and humane policy made him one of the most
attractive figures in the ancient orient. . . . Despotic cruelty was for­
eign to this Persian” ( The Bible as History, page 299). He not only is­
sued the decree permitting the Jews to return and rebuild their temple
in Jerusalem but also bore the cost of the Jews’ transportation and
later of the actual construction itself.
If Cyrus was the son of Mandane, daughter of King Astyages, then
her brother was Cyaxares II or Darius. This would make Darius the
uncle of Cyrus, with whom the latter became well acquainted during
the years he spent as a youth in the court of the Medes. After Cyrus’s
conquest of Babylon, he visited his uncle, presenting him with gifts.
Cyaxares II, or Darius, in return gave Cyrus his daughter in marriage as
well as his kingdom, according to Cyropaedia VIII, 5.17, 18. It would
seem, then, that Darius was not only the uncle of Cyrus, but also his
father-in-law. We can therefore understand the great conqueror’s invit­
ing Darius to Babylon to act as king of that area.

C yrus learns of D aniel’s G od

Both Cyrus and Darius came to recognize Daniel’s God as the
God of gods. Imagine the surprise of Cyrus when, after entering the
city, he learned that the God of heaven had foretold the important
details of this very conquest. Daniel’s influence upon the new regime
must have been considerable.
The Scripture comment on the conquest is brief: “That night was
Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median
took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old” (Daniel
5:30,31).

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 Darius set up 120 princes or “satraps” over the kingdom. “And
over these, three presidents; of whom Daniel was first” (Daniel 6:1,
2). Jealousy soon arose among the two subordinate presidents and the
princes, and they “sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning
the kingdom” (verse 4). But the only cause they could find was con­
cerning his religion.
After much discussion they approached Darius in a spirit of flat­
tery and persuaded him to sign a decree according to “the law of the
Medes and Persians, which altereth not” (verse 8). This was actually a
design against Daniel, although Darius did not realize the subtlety of
the plan. The wording of the decree was very clear: “Whosoever shall
ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king,
he shall be cast into the den of lions” (verse 7).
The Persians, like other Orientals, regarded the king as divine and
worshiped him as the representative of Ormazd, or Ahura Mazda. So the
plan was not unusual. But it was all a trap for Daniel, and Daniel knew
it. But he could not be intimidated. He still carried out his regular wor­
ship, “his windows being open.” He knelt “three times a day, and prayed”
(verse 10). Had he closed the windows, that would have shown coward­
ice. O f course he could have rationalized, “Well, I can pray in my heart.
God will understand.” But Daniel was no compromiser. He knew that
those men were waiting and watching, and they soon had a clear case.
Coming to Darius, they reminded him of the decree he had
signed. Then they made the charge, saying, “That Daniel, which is of
the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor
the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times
a day” (verse 13).
It was then that Darius realized what his perfidious courtiers had
done. He was alarmed and deeply grieved. He knew he had been
trapped. All day long he labored, hoping to find a way out, consulting
with lawyers and politicians, but without success. The statute could
not be changed or favoritism shown. The king was bound by his own
law. So Daniel was arraigned before Darius. We could wish that all
the conversation between the king and Daniel had been recorded, but
the last words of Darius to Daniel are most moving. “Thy God whom
thou servest continually, he will deliver thee” (verse 16).

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D aniel lowered to the lions
W ith feigned loyalty, the accusers lowered Daniel into the den of
Hons, closed the mouth of the pit with a stone, and saw to it that it
was sealed with the king’s seal, as well as that of his lords. That night
Darius, in deep despondency, could not sleep. N or would he tolerate
any entertainment. He even refused food.
“Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste
unto the den of lions. And . . . he cried with a lamentable voice unto
Daniel: . . . O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom
thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” (verses
19, 20).
Daniel called back, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut
the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me” (verse 22).
The king’s heart bounded with joy. Here was the answer not only
to Daniel’s prayer, but also to the prayers of Darius. W hen Daniel
was taken up, not even a scratch was found upon him. Those wild,
hungry cats had been under the control of a higher decree than that
of an earthly king. An angel from God had been Daniel’s companion
all the long night. Perhaps the prayer of King David had been on his
lips that night: “My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them
that are set on fire. . . . My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed”
(Psalm 57:4, 7).
Did somebody suggest that the lions were not hungry? The next
part of the story is almost too terrible to contemplate. Those men who
had accused Daniel were thrown into the den and their families with
them. The record says that the lions tore them to pieces before they
reached the bottom.

D arius recognizes the G od of I srael

The story of Daniel’s deliverance became known throughout the
land, for Darius sent a royal letter to “all people, nations, and lan­
guages, that dwell in all the earth” (verse 25). In this letter he gave his
testimony to the living God who “delivereth and rescueth,” declaring
that he “worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth” (verse
27). W hat was to be the execution of one man became a bloodbath
for his accusers. After the deliverance, the God of Israel was again

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proclaimed to the people throughout that vast empire. This was the
third royal document that proceeded from the city of Babylon as a
testimony to the God of heaven. The first was sent by Nebuchadnezzar
telling the story of the fiery furnace and the deliverance of the three
Hebrews. The second was Nebuchadnezzar’s portrayal of his insanity,
recovery, and restoration. The third came from this Median king, and
again it was a tribute to God’s power to save those who trust in Him.
The same God who delivered Daniel and his three companions is the
God we serve today. If, while reading this, you feel that subtle in­
trigue surrounds your life, that there seems no way through, then let
the example of these heroes of old inspire you to be true to the living
God. He has a thousand ways to meet your need. Trust Him fully. He
will bring you through. David said, “Mine enemies would daily swal­
low me up: for they be many that fight against me.” But he then
added, “W hat time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. . . . I will not fear
what flesh can do unto me” (Psalm 56:2-4). Isaiah was even more
confident. He said, “I will trust, and not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2). Find
your strength, dear friend, where these men found theirs. We can be
more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord.
This thrilling story of faith and victory finds us halfway through
the book of Daniel. The first six chapters deal largely with history; the
last six with prophecy. This latter section is, without doubt, the more
fascinating part of the book. The visions Daniel received from the
Lord cover the whole history of the world from his day to our own. In
the earlier chapters, Daniel was heaven’s ambassador at earthly courts.
In the last chapters he is God’s spokesman to the world, opening up
the future, especially that which affects the people of God.
In these chapters we will discover that the living God not only
predicts what will happen but foretells the movements of men and
nations hundreds, even thousands, of years before the events. One of
the impressive things about the book of Revelation, the last book of
the Bible, is that it is really a commentary on the last six chapters of
Daniel. Recognizing the importance of prophecy, let us turn to these
chapters with reverence, praying that the Holy Spirit who moved
Daniel to write these visions will guide us as we seek to comprehend
God’s last message of grace in these troublous days.

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 Dr
rflb
One of the most comprehensive prophecies of all the Bible is
found in Daniel, chapter 7, which portrays the rise, development, and
collapse of human governments from Babylon to the end of the age—
"until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).
God had revealed the succession of history’s great empires nearly
fifty years earlier, when Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream. The Chaldean king had seen the future unfolded in the form
of a metallic man. That vision has well been called the “ABC of apoca-
ivptic prophecy.” But later Daniel himself saw in vision the shape of
things to come in the form of fierce beasts.
It was Belshazzar’s first year when this vision appeared. (See Daniel
7:1.) Nabonidus had made his son Belshazzar coregent of the empire in
the year 553 b .c . Fourteen years before the festival when the Persian
armies overthrew the city, the glory of the empire was already waning.
Nabonidus may have felt that bringing his eldest son into a place
of rulership would strengthen the empire. Actually, this change in the
leadership proved to be one of the reasons why Cyrus found the con­
quest of this great city comparatively easy. The father of Belshazzar, as
we have already noticed, spent most of his time in the city of Tema in
northern Arabia, being more interested in archaeology and history
than in politics. Fie therefore left his son in charge of Babylon, in an
administrative office for which Belshazzar was ill prepared.
Now let us look at this great apocalyptic prophecy, noting how
much more detail the Lord gave to Daniel than to Nebuchadnezzar.
Apocalyptic prophecy is one of the most unique forms of literature,
conveying its message in signs or symbols.

I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds

of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts
came up from the sea, diverse from one another. The first was

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 like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings there­
of were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made
stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to
it (Daniel 7:2-4).

In the following verses the prophet describes three more strange

creatures.
W hat are we to understand by these great beasts? No need to use
our imagination here, for the Bible is its own interpreter. Said the
angel, “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall
arise out of the earth” (verse 17). “The fourth beast shall be the fourth
kingdom upon earth” (verse 23). So these beasts are not four indi­
vidual kings but rather four successive kingdoms or world empires.

I nterpreting the language of symbols

While symbolic language may appear bewildering at first, the
meaning soon becomes clear and also fascinating. W hat are we to
understand by the “winds” striving on the sea? Jeremiah, a contempo­
rary of Daniel, prophesied, “The L o r d hath a controversy with the
nations; . . . he will give them that are wicked to the sword. . . . A
great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth” (Jer­
emiah 25:31, 32). W ind in symbolic prophecy, therefore, is used to
represent strife and war. But what does the “sea” represent? Isaiah
indicates that water in prophecy symbolizes a multitude o f people.
(See Isaiah 17:12, 13.) And in Revelation 17:15 we read: “The waters
which thou sawest . . . are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues.”
The beasts represent great kingdoms or empires. W ith the winds
representing strife and war, the sea representing peoples and multi­
tudes, and the beasts representing empires, we can put the picture
together. Daniel saw a succession of world empires that arose and fell
as the result of war. That has been the pattern of our world from the
beginning of recorded history.
The same succession of empires that was portrayed in Nebuchad­
nezzar’s image now appears as fierce beasts with many added details.
Babylon is not just a head of gold, but a lion with eagle’s wings. The

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 C a rt* Prophecies of World Empires
lion (king of beasts) and the eagle (king of birds) denote both strength
and speed of conquest— a fitting symbol of Babylon under the rule of
Nebuchadnezzar. In recent years archaeologists have unearthed a
number of sculptured winged lions among the ruins of ancient Baby­
lon. Daniel saw something strange happening to the lion, however.
The wings were plucked off, and a man’s heart was given to it. Could
anything better express the change that came into the Babylonian
Empire before it collapsed? In English history we read of Richard the
Lion-Hearted. King Richard was a lion-hearted man, full of courage
and strength. But here we have a man-hearted lion.

M edia -P ersia replaces B abylon

The kingdom of Babylon was not to endure for long, for another
kingdom, represented by a bear, was soon to arise. “And behold an­
other beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side,
and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and
they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh” (Daniel 7:5).
More ponderous, but strong and rapacious, the bear was a fitting
symbol of Media-Persia, corresponding to the silver kingdom of chap­
ter 2. Something else important— the bear “raised up itself on one
side” (verse 5). History records that the Persian element of this dual
empire was much the stronger.
The “three ribs” between the teeth of the bear were also signifi­
cant; also the words, “Arise, devour much flesh.” Unlike Cyrus, the
later kings of Persia were notably intolerant and cruel. Since the sec­
ond century of the Christian Era, the three ribs have been interpreted
as Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. These three kingdoms were not to last.
Their humiliating defeat on the battlefield of Gaugamela (or Arbela)
in 331 b .c . ushered in a new empire represented by the leopard with
four heads and four wings. It was easy to understand the bronze of the
metallic image as representing Greece, but what is symbolized by the
tour wings and four heads of the leopard? If the two wings of the eagle
represented Babylon’s speed of conquest, then these four wings would
denote exceptional celerity of movement. This was certainly true of
Greece under Alexander. In the brief space of eight years he welded
the Greek city-states into a universal power.

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 Born of royal blood, this son of Philip of Macedon was a pupil of
the great philosopher Aristotle. Throughout his conquests, Alexander
kept in touch with his mentor. In one lightning campaign following
another, he quickly conquered most of the known world. But he
could not conquer himself. He is said to have died of a fever brought
on by a drunken debauch at the age of thirty-three. W hen asked on
his deathbed to whom he would leave the kingdom, he replied, “To
the strongest.”
Twenty years of internal strife and civil war followed Alexander’s
death, until after the Battle of Ipsus in 301 b .c . four of his generals
divided the empire among themselves. Lysimachus took the north
with Thrace and part of Asia Minor. Cassander took the west, includ­
ing Macedonia and Athens. Seleucus took the east with most of Syria,
Mesopotamia, and Persia, while Ptolemy took the south, including
Egypt and Palestine. The four heads of the leopard beast were indeed
significant. These divisions, however, weakened the empire and paved
the way for the rising power of Rome.

T he strange ten - horned beast

While every beast differed from the others, this fourth creature
defied description. It was so hideous compared with the preceding
creatures that the prophet received a second vision to describe it. The
prophet described this crushing power as “dreadful and terrible, and
strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake
in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was di­
verse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns”
(verse 7).
The prophet was particularly eager to “know the truth of the
fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others”(verse 19). W ith
ferocious iron teeth and nails of brass, it would devour and break in
pieces all before it and would stamp the residue with his feet; nothing
could stand before his power.
This fourth best unquestionably symbolized the empire of the
Caesars. This power crucified our Lord and martyred the apostles. A
high point during a “Roman holiday” was the slaughter of Chris­
tians either as burning torches in the Coliseum or as food for raven-

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 Cartoon Prophecies of WDfld Empires
ous beasts. But what about the ten horns, and especially “that horn
that had eyes, and a m outh that spake very great things” (verse 20)?
The angel explained that the ten horns were “ten kings that shall
arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from
the first, and he shall subdue three kings” (verse 24). W hile the Ro­
man Empire was strong, cruel, and crushing, it was not all bad.
Besides its network of fine roads, which aided Christians in carrying
the gospel to their world, Rome also developed a comprehensive
legal system.

R oman E mpire divided

But the time came when the empire was divided. Weakened by
warfare and barbarian invasions, it finally fell. Then the “little horn”
pushed its way into leadership, uprooting three of the ten kingdoms.
Several centuries later the Holy Roman Empire arose. While neither
holy, nor Roman, nor an empire, it held sway for a thousand years.
O n occasion interpreters of prophecy have alleged that at no
period of Roman history was the empire composed of precisely ten
kingdoms. However, it is well documented that the ten kingdoms
appeared after the decline and fall of the empire o f the Caesars.
Gibbon, as well as other authoritative historians, make it clear that
the ten kingdoms did indeed come into being after Rome’s collapse.
In his Horae Apocalypticae, Elliott lists these as Anglo-Saxons, Ale-
manni, Franks, Visigoths, Suevi, Burgundians, Bavarians, Heruli,
• andals, and Ostrogoths. (Some were known by other names at dif­
ferent times, and some other lists suggest various different king­
doms.)
The angel told Daniel that the little horn, “whose look was more
stout than his fellows” (verse 20), would uproot three horns, or king­
doms. How completely this was fulfilled when the popes came to
power! Three kingdoms were uprooted: the Heruli, the Vandals, and
the Ostrogoths. And it was because they were Arians in their belief—
that is, they did not recognize Christ as eternal, but claimed that He
was created. In a .d . 493 the Heruli met their fate; in a .d . 534 the
’*andals; and in a .d . 538 the Ostrogoths’ power was broken, but they
continued until a .d . 552.

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E urope dominated by the church
The little horn, though small at first, became strong, “more stout
than his fellows” (verse 20). This power “made war with the saints,
and prevailed against them,” as the angel said, and would continue
until heaven’s great judgment would settle his destiny and “take away
his dominion” (verses 21, 26).
The papacy dominated Western Europe during the medieval centu­
ries and later extended its control to the new lands of the Western Hemi­
sphere. N ot only did the angel describe this power in specific ways, he
also showed what his work would be. This prophecy was well under­
stood by the great Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century. In fact,
their interpretations of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation led them
to break from the apostate medieval church. They called the people back
to the Bible, showing clearly from God’s W ord how the papacy fulfilled
Daniel’s prophecies. “He shall speak great words against the most High,”
said the angel, “and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think
to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time” (verse 25).
Leaders such as Luther, Calvin, Knox, and Cranmer pointed to
Daniel 7 and Revelation 17, identifying the great apostasy with head­
quarters in Rome. The scriptural message of Revelation 18:4 formed
the basis of many of their sermons: “Come out of her, my people, that
ye be not partakers of her sins.”

P owerful preachers w ith a mighty message

These men were mighty preachers, and Paul’s message in 2 Thes-
salonians 2:3, 4 concerning “that man of sin . . . W ho opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped,”
who “sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God,”
moved the Reformers to action. They not only proclaimed the truth,
but they were willing to die for it. And many did.
Some of the most brutal persecutions of all history, such as the
Inquisition, were inspired by leaders of the church. The little-horn
power did indeed wear out the saints of the most High. Millions of
God’s faithful men and women suffered martyrdom, many by fire,
others by the sword, the ax, drowning, flaying, and the rack.

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 ires
C hanging G o d ’s times and laws
The angel further declared that this power would “think to change
rimes and laws” (verse 25). Rome’s attack on G od’s Ten Command­
ments is vital, but the changing of “times” is also deeply significant.
Great prophetic time prophecies relating to our Lord’s first advent—
His ministry, death, and resurrection— are clearly delineated in
Daniel’s prophecies. But these have been changed and reinterpreted,
as we shall see in our next chapter. Also, important prophecies con­
cerning our Savior’s return, particularly those that focus on this
apostate power, outlining its work, have been changed so that the
great antichrist of the centuries has been disguised. (We shall con­
sider this point in more detail when we come to the prophecy of
Daniel 9.)
N ot only would this power attempt to change the great chrono­
logical prophecies, the prophetic “times,” but this power would even
dare to lay his hand upon God’s holy law. O n this the Reformers were
also very clear. Two commandments, particularly the second and the
fourth, are clear evidences of this. The second commandment, which
forbids the making of graven images, in most Roman Catholic cate­
chisms is attached to the first and reads: “I am the Lord thy god. Thou
shalt have no strange gods before me.” This, of course, omits all refer­
ence to bowing to graven images.
Concerning the Sabbath commandment, Luther said, “They [Ro­
man Catholics] allege the change of the Sabbath into the Lord’s day,
contrary, as it seemeth to the Decalogue; and they have no example
more in their mouths than the change of the Sabbath. They will needs
have the Church’s power to be very great, because it hath dispensed
with a precept of the Decalogue” (Creeds o f Christendom, vol. 3, page
64).
One of the ablest of the Reformers, Philip Melanchthon, a close
associate of Luther, was even more specific. He said, “He changeth
the tymes and lawes that any of the sixe work dayes commanded of
God will make them unholy and idle dayes when he lyste, or of their
own holy dayes abolished make work dayes again, or when they
changed ye Saturday into Sonday” (Exposition o f Daniel the Prophet,
gathered from Melanchthon’s writings by George Joye, 1545).

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A COUNTERFEIT REST DAY
Some years ago Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, a Baptist scholar and theo­
logian who authored The Baptist Manual, addressed a large group of
ministers in New York on this question. Concerning Sunday as a day
of worship he said, “W hat a pity that it comes branded with the mark
of paganism christened with the name of the sun god when adopted
and sanctioned by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred
legacy to Protestantism.” W hat a pity indeed! But all this was foretold
in the prophecies of Daniel, Paul, and John. Eusebius, church histo­
rian in the time of Constantine, states it this way: “All things what­
ever it was our duty to do on the Sabbath, these we [the apostate
church] have transferred to the Lord’s day” (Commentary on Psalm
92).
These claims were later emphasized by the Counter-Reformation,
which grew out o f the Council o f Trent. This council was con­
vened in an effort on the part o f the papacy to meet the challenge
of the Protestant Reformation. N ote these words from the first
session of that im portant council: “The celebration of the Sabbath
should be transferred to the Lord’s Day” (Catechism o f the Council
o f Trent).
The angel also told how long this power was to be in control— “a
time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel 7:25). A “time” was
a year; “times” would be two years; and “the dividing of time” would
be half a year (see Daniel 12:7), making a total of three and a half
years. A Jewish year, recognized by Bible scholars, is 360 days, this
being the mean average between a lunar year of 356 days and a solar
year of 365 days. Let us add these figures together:

1 time = 360 days

2 times = 720 days
Vi time = 180 days
1,260 days

In symbolic prophecy a day may stand for a literal year, as in

Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34— “each day for a year.” Then 1,260
prophetic days would be 1,260 literal years. This measurement of

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time is brought to view in Revelation 12:6, which reads “a thousand
two hundred and threescore days.” In Revelation 13:5 the same pro­
phetic period is stated in a little different way: “forty and two months.”
A Jewish month is 30 days, so 42 months multiplied by 30 brings the
same total— 1,260 days or years. In Revelation 12:14 the same period
is differently stated: “a time, and times, and half a time.” In the year
a .d . 538 the rule of the Ostrogoths was definitely broken, leaving the
papacy free to develop her political and ecclesiastical power. This she
did, and for 1,260 years she exercised great authority in Europe,
crowning kings and deposing them.

T he R eformers challenge the church

The Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centu­
ries challenged the church’s power, but by 1798 papal power in Eu­
rope had severely weakened. That year, in the Napoleonic Wars, Pope
Pius VI was taken prisoner in Rome by General Berthier of France.
The pope died in exile a year and a half later. From a .d . 538 to a .d .
1798 is, we repeat, 1,260 years.
The arrest of Pope Pius made dramatic news. M any Protes­
tants, recognizing in the arrest the fulfillment of prophecies of
Daniel and Revelation, felt that the event both confirmed the
truths they had proclaimed and inspired an intensive study of the
prophecies. Especially they studied the eschatological prophecies—
those relating to the second advent of our Lord. The result was a
great spiritual awakening in Europe, in the M iddle East, in India,
in N orth and South America, even as far away as the new land of
Australia.
The words of the angel, “the judgment shall sit, and they shall take
away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end” (verse
26), came with new meaning. “The kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to
the people of the saints of the most Fligh, whose kingdom is an ever­
lasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. H ith­
erto is the end of the matter” (verses 26-28). This could mean noth­
ing more or less than the end of the age, which would be ushered in
by the second advent of Christ.

4—U. D. R. 97
T he “A dvent A wakening ” is born
The reaction was tremendous. W ith new confidence, men and
women by hundreds of thousands pored over the prophecies. This
was the prelude to the Great Awakening.
When the angel came to the climax of his message, Daniel was
speechless. But he says, “I kept the matter in my heart” (verse 28). Are
we stirred by this revelation? Does the knowledge of the Lord’s return
sober us and inspire us? The prophecy reveals that no other world
empire will arise until our Lord returns. W hat courage that should
bring to our hearts! While definite attempts are being made today to
establish a new world order, we can know that if such a world govern­
ment were to be established, it would be short lived.
The next great event on this planet will be the ushering in of the
eternal kingdom of glory. And that kingdom will be established not
by human councils and legislation but by our Lord Himself. W hat a
contrast it will be from all the kingdoms of the past and the present.
It will be a kingdom of peace and love— no armies, no navies, no
police, no prisons. Riots, demonstrations, poverty, and hunger will be
no more. The citizens of that kingdom shall never say, “I am sick,” for
pain and death will be banished forever.
This is the kingdom for which God’s people through all the ages
have waited and prayed. Are you, dear friend, a citizen of God’s king­
dom of grace now? If you are, you will also be a citizen of the king­
dom of glory then. Christ loved us so much that He died in our place,
so that you and I might live with H im eternally. N ot only did He die,
He rose again and ascended to His Father’s throne from whence He
sends forth His Spirit to deliver us from sin and rebellion and to make
us members of His family.
Each of us must make a decision individually. Jesus said, “He that
is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30). As we close this chap­
ter, we simply ask, Are you with Him or against Him?

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 Christ and Heaven'sJudDment
Scripture refers to God’s great judgment more than a thousand
times. Almost every Bible writer makes some reference to it. But no
more sublime description is given than in Daniel 7:9-14. The nature
of the scene demands our serious consideration. The expression
'thrones were cast down” (verse 9) is unfortunate. “Thrones were
tjlaced” is more correct, as the Revised Standard Version translates the
text. Daniel was given a vision of the coming judgment when “the
Ancient of days” (verse 9) would take His place, surrounded by a
sjoup sitting on lesser thrones. Ten thousand times ten thousand an­
gels, plus thousands more, joined the scene. The prophet John de­
scribes the same scene in Revelation 5:11: “I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne: . . . and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou­
sands.”
We usually think of the judgment as a scene with a judge, a pris­
oner in the dock, and a defense attorney pleading his case. However,
a judgment scene in the days of John was quite different. When one
who was to preside took his place, then a group ol associates took
their places in a semicircle. These were special seats, or judgment
thrones, and those who occupied those places were representatives.
-\n interesting allusion to this is found in Psalm 122:1-5, where the
nsalmist says, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the
house of the Lord.” Then he goes on to tell about some things he finds
there. Berkeley’s version of verse 5 reads, “For there seats are placed
for judging.”
Daniel was given a view of the Ancient o f days, God the Fa­
ther, taking His place. It is H e who presides in the judgm ent. Then
in verse 13 the Son of man appears to perform the work. This is
sometimes called the investigative judgm ent because there the
evidence is presented. A more illum inating title would be the

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pre-Advent judgm ent, for this takes place before the Son o f man
returns for His people. And the prophecy says that earthly powers
are still struggling for supremacy while this judgm ent is in session.
W hen our Lord returns in glory, H e brings His rewards w ith Him
(see Revelation 22:12)— a statem ent that indicates that the destiny
of every soul will have been settled before the Second Advent. In
this pre-Advent judgm ent, the God o f the universe will give a full
account of His work in the salvation of men. He will uncover the
sinister influences of Lucifer, who has charged God with being
unjust.
Sin did not begin on earth. In heaven the highest of the angels led
a rebellion against God. He said, “I will exalt my throne above the
stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will
be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:13, 14). W hen Lucifer challenged
God’s rulership, one-third of the heavenly hosts joined in that rebel­
lion, and they were all cast out of heaven. (See Revelation 12:4,
7-9.)

G od vindicated in the judgment

The judgment Daniel describes in verses 9 and 10 of Daniel 7 is
the same as that pictured in Revelation 14:7. The central issue in the
judgment is the vindication of the character of God before the whole
universe. Thus it is called “the hour of his [God’s] judgment” (Revela­
tion 14:7). Part of that judgment will be the presentation of the re­
cords. This is the crisis hour of the universe, when God puts Himself
on trial.
“W hen thou speakest thou shalt be vindicated, and win the ver­
dict when thou art on trial” (Romans 3:4, NEB). N ot only are we on
trial, but God Himself is on trial. He planned it that way so that the
whole universe can study the story of sin and finally participate in the
vindication of His character. W hen that judgment ends, every crea­
ture in the universe will stand on one side or the other of the issue.
The Bible does not teach that all will be saved, but it does teach that
“we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one
may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath

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 AntiEhrist and Heaven's Judgment
done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). W hen God
uncovers all the records, he will reveal to the universe not only His
patience and forgiving love, but also who of the human family will
have accepted His grace and therefore be candidates for immortality,
which will be bestowed on the righteous at the second advent of our
Lord.
God, of course, does not have to study record books to discover
who will be saved. “The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Timothy
2:19). But the judgment reveals God’s justice and mercy to the uni­
verse.
At the conclusion of that heavenly assize, the Son of man comes
before the Ancient of days, God the Father. Then “there was given
him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations,
and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting do­
minion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall
not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14).

O ur representative in the judgment

The coming of the Son of man before the Ancient of days is full
of meaning, and the term Son o f man is also significant. Some transla­
tions read “one human in form,” emphasizing His humanity. As re­
pentant sinners, we have a representative, one like ourselves, before
the Father. Jesus evidently took the term Son o f man from the seventh
chapter of Daniel, and the New Testament records more than eighty
occasions when He used it.
He concludes His ministry of reconciliation by this work of judg­
ment. While He is our advocate, He is also our judge. Christ Himself
said, “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son. . . . And hath given him authority to execute judgment
also, because he is the Son of man” (John 5:22, 27).
While it is the Father who presides in this august assembly as the
-Ancient of days, yet it is the Son who performs the judgment. God has
“appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteous­
ness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given as­
surance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts
17:31). This can be none other than Jesus Christ.

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C hrist , our judge
Note these important words: “It is He [Jesus] who has encoun­
tered the deceiver, and who through all the ages has been seeking to
wrest the captives from his grasp, who will pass judgment upon every
soul” (Ellen White, The Desire o f Ages, page 210). The same author has
written: “Christ Himself will decide who are worthy to dwell with the
family of heaven. He will judge every man according to his words and
his works” (Ellen White, Christ’s Object Lessons, page 74). And again:
“Christ has been made our Judge. The Father is not the Judge. The
angels are not. He who took humanity upon Himself, and in this
world lived a perfect life, is to judge us. He only can be our Judge.
Will you remember this, brethren? Will you remember it, ministers?
Will you remember it, fathers and mothers? Christ took humanity
that He might be our Judge” (Ellen White, Testimoniesfor the Church,
vol. 9, page 185).
It was our Lord who said, “The Father . . . hath committed all
judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). This refers not only to the pre-
Advent judgment but also to the pronouncement of the sentence and
the execution of that sentence.
At the very time that the pre-Advent judgment is in session, the
“little horn” power, which we have noticed in the previous chapter, is
heard to speak “great words against the most High” (Daniel 7:25),
uttering his most blasphemous claims. An even clearer picture of what
that means to us is presented in Daniel 8, which deals particularly
with the sanctuary and God’s provisions of salvation for sinners.
To understand the messages of Daniel fully we must understand
something of the Hebrew sanctuary, for the prophecy declared that
the truths of that sanctuary would be “cast down . . . to the ground”
and trodden under foot (Daniel 8:10, 11).
How and when was all this to happen? This eighth chapter could
well be called the key to understanding Daniel. In this chapter we are
introduced to a most important vision of a ram, a goat, and a little-
horn power that would seek to destroy the truths of salvation. This
vision was given to Daniel two years after the vision of the great beasts
recorded in chapter 7. That vision came in “the first year of Belshazzar
king of Babylon” (Daniel 7:1), but the events of chapter 8 were

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 Antichrist and Heaven's Judgment
brought to Daniel’s notice “in the third year of the reign of king
Belshazzar” (Daniel 8:1). The prophet received this vision when he
was at Shushan in the province of Elam, or Elymias, in Persia. This
was a mountainous region occupied originally by a Cushite race. In
Genesis 14, we read of Chedorlaomer who founded an extensive em­
pire including Elam, which, according to some historians, became
independent as early as 2280 b .c . Later Elam’s king attacked Babylon,
transported many spoils to Shushan, or Susa, including the famous
code of Hammurabi. Susa lay on the direct route from Babylon to
India.
In Daniel’s day there was evidently a large canal that connected
the two rivers, the Coprates and the Choaspes. The canal was called
Eluacus or Ulai. Daniel was probably on official business for Babylon
when God gave him this very important vision. He says, “I lifted up
mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram
which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was
higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram
pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts
might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out
of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great” (Dan­
iel 8:3, 4).

G abriel interprets the symbols

There is no need to guess concerning the interpretation of this vi­
sion, for the angel Gabriel made it very clear: “The ram which thou
sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia” (verse 20).
Under Cyrus the Great, Persia became the stronger force in the dual
kingdom, the “higher horn” coming up last. The ram was the symbol
of Persia at that time, just as the lion today represents Britain or the
eagle symbolizes the United States. In fact, the Persian kings were
crowned with a ram’s head of gold, jeweled with precious stones.
Moreover their coins carried the figure of a ram. In this prophecy the
ram pushed westward, taking Babylonia, Mesopotamia, and Syria;
northward, taking Armenia and the area of the Caspian Sea; and
southward, engulfing Egypt, the Holy Land, Libya, and Ethiopia.
“No beasts [powers] might stand before him ” (verse 4). The

103
advance of the Medo-Persian Empire was overwhelming. Then the
prophet said, “As I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the
west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and
the goat had a notable horn between his eyes” (verse 5).
Gabriel interpreted this symbol as well. “And the rough goat is the
king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first
king” (verse 21). That king, of course was Alexander the Great, who
in a little less than a decade conquered the ancient world. The goat
king in the prophecy “came from the west, . . . and touched not the
ground” (verse 5). Conquering Asia Minor, Syria, Phoenicia, Cyprus,
Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, and the mountains north of India, he took
his troops as far east as the Indus River. But the soldiers, having been
away from home more than seven years, forced Alexander to return.
He traveled as far back as Babylon, where he intended to make his
headquarters. But mourning the loss of a favorite friend, it is reported
he was seized by a sudden illness (“swamp fever”), perhaps malaria,
which was complicated by heavy drinking. Though only thirty-three
years old, he died in a few days. This conquering genius left a military
record rarely, if ever, surpassed. How true is the prophecy!
The symbol of Greece was the goat. Tradition has it that Caremus,
the first king of Macedon, followed a herd of wild goats to Edessa,
where he set up his capital, calling it Aege, “the goat city,” from whence
the national symbol sprang. The prophecy indicated a dramatic
change— “when he was strong, the great horn was broken” (verse 8). In
its place four horns appeared. It is said that when Alexander lay dying,
Perdiccas, his faithful friend, asked to whom he would leave the king­
dom. He replied, “To the strongest.” Upon his decease, the empire was
thrown into a state of strife until it was completely broken. The army
scattered, and the cities were plundered. At last four of Alexander’s gen­
erals divided the empire between them as noted earlier. Lysimachus
took the north, including Cappadocia, Thrace, and northern Asia Mi­
nor. Ptolemy took the south— Egypt, Cyprus, and Palestine. Cassander
claimed Macedonia, Thessaly, and Greece. Seleucus took the east, in­
cluding Babylonia, Persia, and Syria.
Note carefully the language in the rest of the prophecy, because
there is perhaps more confusion on this than on any other part of the

104
 h ictetd Helen's Judgment
rook. Scripture says, “And out of one of them came forth a little
corn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the
east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the
cost of heaven” (verses 9, 10).
Then he “shall destroy the mighty and the holy people,” and “he
shall also stand up against the Prince of princes” (verses 24, 25).
Many commentators see in these verses a description of Antiochus
tpiphanes, eighth king in the Seleucid dynasty. While this man cer­
tainly was a tyrant and a persecutor, having done all he could against
die Jews, yet he certainly was not this little-horn power described in
the text. True, he profaned the temple in Jerusalem by sacrificing a
sow at the altar of burnt offering and then sprinkling its broth over
the temple walls. And while doing all that, he tried to enforce the
worship of Olympus and massacred more than a hundred thousand
Jews who refused such idolatrous worship. Because of his frightful
acts of sacrilege, he was despised not only by the Jews but also by his
own people. However, Antiochus was only one of a line of kings and
by no means the strongest. W hen we have said the worst we can about
him, he comes short of the prophetic description.

W ho was the “ exceeding great” power ?

Note these important points— the ram representing Persia was to
become “great;” the goat representing Greece was to become “very
great.” But this new power, symbolized by the little horn, was to become
"exceeding great.” Surely neither Antiochus Epiphanes nor any other of
his line was greater than Cyrus or Alexander. Actually, Antiochus was
anything but great. He was forced to pay tribute to Rome constantly;
he was killed trying to raise more money to pay tribute. It would be
hard to find in history a ruler that was more eccentric. Today we
might call him paranoid. Even his own people sometimes referred to
him as Antiochus Epimanes (the “madman”) instead of Antiochus
Epiphanes. He did not enlarge his territory. He was simply one among
many kings. If it were left to historians alone to select a man to fill the
role, it certainly would not be Antiochus Epiphanes. The choice of
this man is part of a design to shift the focus from the power clearly
indicated. And we do well to probe this.

105
 The prophecy says, “O ut of one of them came forth a little horn,
which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east,
and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of
heaven. . . . Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host”
(verses 9-11).
The power introduced here was to do things Antiochus Epiphanes
could never do. How could Antiochus stand up against the Prince of
princes when the former died in 164 b .c ., long before our Lord was
born? Some suggest that Antiochus was only a type of a greater power—
the antichrist— who will appear in the end time. The real fulfillment,
they say, lies in the future, after Christ’s second advent. But what
right does anyone have to throw this prophecy off into the future (as
do many interpreters of prophecy) when the Scripture indicates no
such gap?
Note carefully: This new power was to come “out of one of them
[the four horns]” (verse 9), that is, out of one of the four divisions of
the Greek Empire. It would be small at the beginning but would wax
“exceeding great” toward the south (the Egyptian kingdom), and
toward the east (the Seleucid kingdom), and toward the pleasant land
(Palestine). The kingdom that Antiochus ruled was already in the east.
It could not, therefore, refer to him. It must be some other power. We
must then look for a power greater than Persia or Greece. Only one
fulfills the prophecy, and that is Rome, the fourth in the succession of
empires. Egypt was made a province of Rome in 30 b .c . Rome had
conquered Syria some years earlier in 65 b .c ., and in 63 b .c . Palestine
was incorporated into the Roman Empire. More than a century later
the wrath of Rome fell upon the Jews with great violence. In response
to untold provocations, Rome’s armies marched against Jerusalem in
a .d . 6 6 , and the war dragged on for four years. Finally, in a . d . 70 the
legions under the command of Titus stormed the walls. They com­
pletely destroyed the city and the temple and scattered the Jews
throughout the empire.
Rome was graphically portrayed as the “iron kingdom” in chapter
2 and also as the indescribable beast with ten horns in chapter 7.
Chapter 8 portrays this power also and gives many more details. The
Roman Empire bitterly persecuted both the Jewish nation and the

106
 Antichrist and Heaven's Judgment
Christian church, having previously ordered the crucifixion of an in­
nocent man, Christ Jesus. But the iron empire was not to last forever.
It broke up into ten kingdoms, and another power moved in to take
its place. In the previous chapter we noticed that the little-horn power
nushed its way into the forefront, uprooting three of the ten king­
doms. It is not merely the political power but the religious power, the
apostate church, that is portrayed in Daniel, chapters 7 and 8.

Ecclesiastical R ome corrupts the gospel

Concerning the little horn, the prophecy said, “Yea, he magnified
himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice
was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down” (Daniel
8:11). To grasp the full meaning of this verse, we need to realize that
the word sacrifice is not in the original text. It was supplied by the
translators. The word translated “daily” is from the Hebrew tamid,
which occurs 103 times in the Old Testament. It means “continual”
or “continually” and is used generally in connection with the ancient
sanctuary services such as the “continual burnt offering,” “continual
shewbread,” “continual incense,” etc. These services foreshadowed the
continual mediation of our Lord on behalf of sinners. For hundreds
of years a priestly ministry was carried out in the Mosaic sanctuary.
Later it was continued in the temple.
The burnt offering foreshadowed our Lord’s death on the cross as
the Lamb of God; the shewbread and the incense were types of His
ministry as High Priest and Intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary.
See Hebrews 7:3; 4:15; 8:1, 2; 9:11, 12.) The prophecy in Daniel
revealed that these central truths of the gospel would be cast down to
die ground and stamped upon. Even “the place of his sanctuary was
cast down” (Daniel 8:11). This happened first when Rome destroyed
Jerusalem and erected a temple to Jupiter on the temple’s former
site.

T he emperor joins the church

Two and a half centuries later the apostate church had become so
popular that Emperor Constantine became a nominal Christian and,
hist prior to his death, a baptized member. Soon bishops became

107
government officers, carrying out the dictates of the state. State offi­
cials were also appointed to high positions in the church, regardless
of their qualifications either morally or spiritually. This not only cor­
rupted the church but paved the way for the introduction of pagan
practices into the worship services. Little by little, the gospel of salva­
tion by grace alone was buried beneath a plethora of ceremonies,
rituals, and penances.
In a .d . 800 Charlemagne, the king of the Franks, created the
Floly Roman Empire, in which the church joined the state in many
areas. Those were dark days for true Christianity and also for the Jews,
who were forced into ghettos with no civil rights and little justice. The
light of truth in many places was almost obliterated. Moffatt’s transla­
tion of verse 11 reads: “It even magnified itself to match the Prince of
the starry host, and deprived him of the daily sacrifice.”
In rabbinical literature, the “daily” included the evening and
morning sacrifices, which became the “center and core of public wor­
ship” (Dr. J. A. Herts, The Pentateuch and Hoftorahs, page 694).
These sacrifices were designated by the Hebrew word tamid, trans­
lated “daily” in English. We have already noticed that this word stood
for the continual manifestation of Christ at the throne of grace. But
the prophecy tells how this new power would “magnify himself’ and
“prosper and prabtice,” corrupting the gospel and taking glory from
the “prince of the host.” (See verses 11, 12.)
Instead of the pure gospel centering in the finished sacrifice of
Christ on Calvary, now ministering as our High Priest in the heav­
enly sanctuary, a false gospel insinuated itself. This centered in an
earthly sanctuary with headquarters in Rome and manned by an
earthly priesthood. No matter how sincere these priests may be, the
church has declared that “Christ is offered on our altars every day.” In
Faber’s Catechism for the Catholic Parochial Schools, page IT , #359, we
read: “Question: Is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross still offered?
Answer: The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is still offered in every
mass.”
While not questioning the sincerity of any, we would point out
that the very heart of the New Testament message is that Jesus Christ
has been offered “once for all” on the cross (Hebrews 10:10). And by

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virtue of that finished sacrifice, He is now at the throne o f grace min­
istering for us. The system of an earthly priesthood and the sacrifice of
the mass is really alien to the gospel of Christ. Through the mass, the
confessional, and the doctrine o f salvation by works, this religious
system has indeed “cast down the truth to the ground” (Daniel
8 : 12) .

H O W LONG UNTIL THE SANCTUARY TRUTH WOULD BE PROCLAIMED?

While Daniel was watching the activities of the little horn, he
heard a dialogue between two heavenly beings. A question was asked,
“For how long will the period of this vision last? . . . How long will
impiety cause desolation?” (verse 13, NEB). The answer came, “And
he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (verse 14). The Hebrew word here
translated “cleansed” means “justified” or “made right.” A volume
could be written on this statement. “The justification of the sanctuary
is the vindication of its cause,” says A. Bevan, “for as long as it is pol­
luted it lies under condemnation” (A Short Commentary on the Book o f
Daniel).
This period of 2,300 days has presented a real challenge to com­
mentators. Some suggest that ereb boqer, translated “days,” should
read “evenings and mornings” as in the Revised Standard Version.
Therefore, they say, it is only 1,150 actual days. To this Keil replies,
“A Hebrew reader could not possibly understand this period of 2,300
evenings and mornings as 2,300 half days or 1,150 whole days, be­
cause evening and morning at creation consisted not of half days but
of whole days” {The Book o f the Prophet Daniel, quoted in Edward J.
Young, The Prophecy o f Daniel, page 174).
The time period in this vision is very specific, but at this point the
precise time for the beginning was not indicated. Daniel was natu­
rally concerned and sought earnestly for the meaning. Gabriel was
then told to make the matter clear to Daniel. He informed the prophet
that the vision belonged to “the time of the end” (verse 17). And “at
the time appointed the end shall be” (verse 19).
“The period determined was long.” Dr. Bung, a Jewish writer,
declares the prophet understood the expression, “then shall the

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Unveiling Daniel and Revelation
sanctuary be cleansed,” for that occurred every year on the Day of
Atonement, on the tenth day of the seventh month. W hen Daniel
received this vision, the sanctuary and the holy city of Jerusalem had
already been destroyed by the Babylonians. Even had the temple been
standing, the long period of 2,300 days could not be fitted into the
regular pattern; and being a prophetic period, the days represented
actual years. No wonder Gabriel said, “Shut thou up the vision; for it
shall be for many days” (verse 26). “It is far distant,” as Fenton trans­
lates it.
The angel’s explanation of all that was to happen proved too much
for the aging prophet. He fainted and was sick for a time. W hen he
recovered, he carried out his governmental responsibilities. But nei­
ther he nor any of his associates could understand the vision. The
symbols of the ram and the goat were clear; the angel had explained
that portion of the vision. But concerning the “sanctuary and the
host” and the power that would stand up against the “Prince of princes,”
as well as the long period of 2,300 days, these concerned the prophet
greatly, but none understood it.

D aniel receives the explanation

Considerable time elapsed between the receiving of this vision
and its interpretation. N ot until the overthrow of the Babylonian
Empire some years later did Daniel receive the explanation of these
points. Sometimes we get impatient for God’s answer to our prob­
lems, but let us remember than even Daniel, a prophet and a man
greatly beloved of God, had to wait years for G od’s answer.
The explanation of the vision we find in the next chapter, Daniel
9, verses 21-27. This is the most precise outline prophecy in the Bible.
It provides the master key to the correct understanding of our Lord’s
first advent and the conditions leading to His second advent. We will
note this in detail in our next chapter.
Before leaving chapter 8, we should note that the 2,300-days
prophecy of Daniel 8:14 seems to have been given by Christ Himself,
called in the marginal reference (in some King James Version Bibles)
of verse 13 “the numberer of secrets” or “the wonderful numberer.”
In Isaiah 9:6, He is called “Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God,

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 Anticlirist and Heaven's Judgment
the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” The description of Daniel
10:5, 6 is repeated in Revelation 1:13-16. So important is this proph­
ecy concerning the cleansing of the sanctuary that it was not left for
lesser beings to describe. It came to the prophet from the One who is
"the Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25). But even His truth would
be attacked by the one described as o f “fierce countenance, and
understanding dark sentences” (Daniel 8:23) whom the angel said
would “magnify himself’ (verse 25) and “destroy the mighty and the
holy people” (verse 24).
The clash between the Prince of princes and this corrupting power
would reach its climax in the teachings and work of the antichrist, and
this would happen prior to the second advent of our Lord. In this
context, Jesus urged His people to study the prophecies of Daniel.
Tragic as this hour of history is, it is nevertheless full of wonderful
meaning for those with eyes to see and ears to hear— those anointed
by the Holy Spirit to discern the signs of the times. This generation is
destined to witness tremendous things in the near future. Are we

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 We now come to what may be considered the most important
chapter in Daniel’s unique book. Chapter 9 contains one of the great­
est prophecies in the Bible. It opens up areas concerning the Messiah,
His matchless ministry, His vicarious death, and His subsequent min­
istry as our High Priest at the throne of grace.
This marvelous revelation came in direct answer to the prophet’s
importunate prayer recorded in Daniel 9:4-19. Daniel tells us that he
had been studying the books of Jeremiah and was greatly concerned
about the fulfillment of the prophecy of seventy years of captivity.
(See Jeremiah 25:9, 11.) He also found predictions in the writings of
Isaiah concerning events at the close of the seventy years. The more
the prophet pondered the writings of these prophets, the greater the
sin of Israel appeared. In calculating the seventy years’ captivity proph­
esied by Jeremiah, Daniel realized that the time had almost expired.
Did he just let things take their course? No. He took the whole situa­
tion on his heart and gave himself to earnest intercessory prayer. W ith
deep concern for his people he unburdened his soul to God.

D aniel’s moving prayer

In humiliation and confession, this statesman-prophet, this confi­
dant of kings, poured out his petitions in one of the greatest prayers
ever recorded. This was no ordinary supplication; it was sacrificial
prayer. He tells how he garbed himself in sackcloth, sprinkling ashes
on his head, thus bearing the marks of mourning. “I prayed,” he says,
“. . . and made my confession” (Daniel 9:4). W hat did this man of
God have to confess? It was not his sin that brought the Jews into
slavery. But as a true intercessor he made the nation’s guilt his own.
Addressing Jehovah as the covenant-keeping God, he says, “We
have sinned: . . . Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the
prophets. . . . O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us

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confusion of faces. . . . To the Lord our God belong mercies and for­
givenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we
obeyed” (verses 5-10, emphasis supplied). He continues in the same
vein: “For our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and
thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now there­
fore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant,. . . and cause thy face
to shine upon thy sanctuary” (verses 16, 17, emphasis supplied).
Some of his expressions he gathered from the psalms: “Cause thy
ace to shine; and we shall be saved” (Psalm 80:3, 7, 19). Also Aaron’s
priestly benediction contains this expression: “The L ord make his
face shine upon thee” (Numbers 6:25).
W ith these thoughts in mind, Daniel pleads with Jehovah to cause
His face to shine on His sanctuary. The temple, of course, had been
destroyed long years before, but the time had come for it to be rebuilt.
For the Lord’s sake, Daniel presented his petition. As a true interces­
sor, Daniel, who for almost seventy years had been Heaven’s ambas­
sador in an alien land, says, “O Lord, hear; O Lord , forgive; O Lord,
hearken and do” (verse 19). Such intense earnestness should stir the
heart of every Christian, leading us to ask ourselves, Are we as con­
cerned in our petitions as was this man of God? Are our prayers
earnest intercessions, or are they mere formalities by reason of habit?
The prophet’s greatest concern was for the honor and reputation of
Jehovah.

Gabriel appears while D aniel prays

“And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin
and the sin of my people,” said the prophet, “even the man Gabriel,
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly
swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation” (verses
20, 21). Although the temple no longer existed, and the Levitical
ritual had long since ceased, yet the prophet, believing the promise of
God concerning the return of His people to Jerusalem and the resto­
ration of the temple worship, made his prayer at the time of the eve­
ning sacrifice, about three o’clock in the afternoon.
In answer to Daniel’s petition Gabriel made haste to be at the
prophet’s side. He came to give special instruction concerning the

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vision that Daniel had seen a few years earlier. At that time no one,
not even Daniel himself, understood it. So Gabriel began by saying,
“I am come to shew thee; . . . therefore understand the matter, and
consider the vision” (verse 23). Then to make the matter clear, he in­
troduced another prophecy concerning Daniel’s people— the Jews-—
and especially the coming Messiah. He said, “Seventy weeks are deter­
mined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation
for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up
the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (verse 24).
Newer versions such as the Revised Standard Version and James
Moffatt’s translation are more exact in their wording: “anoint a most
holy place;” “consecrate a most sacred Place.” The consecration of this
sacred place was, without doubt, referring to the heavenly sanctuary,
where the Messiah would officiate after giving His life as a sacrifice for
us. And to confirm the promise, six tremendous events were to hap­
pen, all of them bound up with the Messiah. These were to be fulfilled
during the last week of the seventy weeks.
In Daniel 7 we noticed the prophetic period— time, times, and a
half, or 1,260 days. We also discovered that when we deal with pro­
phetic time, a day stands for a literal year. (See Numbers 14:34 and
Ezekiel 4:6.) These seventy weeks, then, would be weeks of years, a
total of 490 years. Moreover, this period would be separated into
three parts: 7 prophetic weeks, or 49 years, allotted for the rebuilding
of the city; 62 weeks, or 434 years, to reach to “Messiah the Prince;”
and one final week. These are vital measurements, but we must be
certain when these seventy weeks begin. O n this point Gabriel was
emphatic, giving the event that would mark the beginning. He said it
would be “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem” (verse 25).
Daniel did not live to see the issuance of that third decree, authorizing
the rebuilding of the city. He did see the result of the first decree, by
King Cyrus in 536 B .c., allowing the Jews to return to their homeland
and rebuild their temple. Opposition from the Samaritans, however,
hindered the work on the temple, making necessary another decree by
Darius Hystaspes in 519 b .c .

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 Daniel's KeyTheme— The Sanctuai^ and Salvation
T he legal language of the decree
The first proclamation that Cyrus put in writing reads, “The T o r d
God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he
hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Ju­
dah. W ho is there among you of all his people? his God be with him,
and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the
house of the L o r d God of Israel” (Ezra 1:2, 3).
Seventeen years later Darius made a second proclamation, which
was really a confirmation of the one issued by King Cyrus. Darius’s
decree reads, “I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these
Jews for the building of the house of God: that of the king’s goods. . .
forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hin­
dered” (Ezra 6:8).
We emphasize again that wonderful as these decrees were, they
concerned only the reconstruction of the temple, the “house at Jeru­
salem.” Another decree was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 457
B.c., sixty-two years after that of Darius. This third decree authorized
further rebuilding and restoration, the temple having been finished
fifty-eight years earlier, in 515 b .c . (See Ezra 6:15.)
In his decree, Artaxerxes gave, in effect, a blank check to Ezra.
Note again the language: “Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the
priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven. . . . I make a decree,
that all they of the people of Israel . . . which are minded of their
own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.” “And I, even I
-Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are
beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest . . . shall require of
you, it be done speedily” (Ezra 7:12, 13, 21).

Full autonomy given the J ews

This third decree included more than the restoration of the city,
as Ezra 7:24-26 shows. It gave the Jews as a nation autonomy in the
matter of legal judgments, even to the death penalty if necessary. The
restoration of Jerusalem meant not merely the laying of stone and
bricks, but the establishment of a nation with headquarters in the re­
built city of Jerusalem.
It was the decree of Artaxerxes that gave the Jews their political

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existence. Many Jews had already returned as pilgrims and sojourners,
but this last decree changed the situation, giving us the beginning
date for Daniel’s prophecy. The commencement of the seventy weeks,
then, was 457 b .c ., which date is now accepted by many scholars. (See
The Chronology o f Ezra 7, by S. H. H orn and L. H. Wood.)
Thirteen years later, in 444 b .c ., Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer,
was granted special permission to go to Jerusalem to join with and
encourage the builders. Nehemiah accomplished a wonderful work
in a very short time. But he was on leave of absence from the king;
this was not a decree, and the permit was granted thirteen years
after the royal decree for the rebuilding of the city had been issued.
The Scriptures show that the temple had been completed about
seventy years before N ehem iah’s visit. In Ezra 6:14, 15 we read,
“The elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the
prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.
. . . And this house [the temple] was finished on the third day of the
m onth Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the
king.” This was the year 515 b . c . Artaxerxes’s decree made provi­
sion for the services of the temple, but it did not provide for the
building of the temple.

A rtaxerxes’s decree issued for E zra, not N ehemiah

We repeat that the decree or commandment from Artaxerxes
was given, not in 445 b . c . or 444 b .c ., but in 457 b . c . This is the
date for the beginning of the seventy-weeks prophecy, or the 490
years. It is unfortunate that so many Bible teachers take 445 b . c . or
444 b . c . for the date of the decree, when no decree was given then,
nor was it needed, for it had been issued and put into effect thirteen
years earlier.
Now note Gabriel’s message to Daniel: “Seventy weeks are deter­
mined upon thy people” (Daniel 9:24). The word determined (cha-
thak, in Hebrew) has been variously translated as “decreed,” “divided,”
“shortened,” “fixed,” “cut off,” “apportioned,” and “allotted.” These
variations are significant. Seventy prophetic weeks were allotted to the
Jews, during which certain definite things were to happen. Their pe­
riod of time was “cut off’ or “shortened” from the longer period of

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the 2,300 prophetic days (literal years) of chapter 8, which the prophet
said no one understood. Now Gabriel tells Daniel that he has come to
give him special instruction concerning the previous vision, saying,
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah
the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times” (verse
25).

T he temple is finished
The seven-week (forty-nine-year) period, reaching to 408 b .c .,
was specified by the angel Gabriel, but present archaeological evidence
has not revealed its full significance.
The period of sixty-nine prophetic weeks, 483 actual years, brings
us to the year a .d . 27. Now what should we expect at that time? The
prophecy says “unto Messiah the Prince” (verse 25). Did He appear
then? Yes. The word Messiah means “anointed,” and the Scripture
says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were op­
pressed” (Acts 10:38). But when was Jesus anointed? N ot at His birth.
He was Spirit-born, but not Spirit-baptized until He went to John,
who baptized H im in the Jordan River.

C hrist baptized and S pirit -anointed

In Luke 3:21, 22 we read: “Now when all the people were bap­
tized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the
heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape
like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said,
Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” Following His
baptism, he went up into the wilderness, where He met the devil face
to face. Afterward He “came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:14, 15).
To what time was He referring? Surely it was the prophetic time of
which Daniel wrote— the sixty-nine prophetic weeks, or 483 years,
that were to reach to “Messiah the Prince.” He had indeed come, and
with His own lips He announced that the time had expired; that period

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foretold by the prophet, which was to mark His manifestation as the
Messiah, had arrived.
Daniel foretold not only the appearance and ministry of the Mes­
siah but also His death. The Messiah shall be “cut off, but not for
himself’ (verse 26). Moffatt says, “leaving no successor.” The Ampli­
fied Bible, speaking of the anointed one, says, He shall be “cut off or
killed, and shall have nothing [and no one belonging] to [and defend­
ing] him.”
How true that was of the Messiah, the Christ! Isaiah 53:8 says,
“He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of
my people was he stricken.” Then Gabriel tells how “the people of the
prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Dan­
iel 9:26). This certainly was not Messiah the Prince, for He destroyed
nothing. He gave His life to save His people from destruction. But
another prince came thirty-nine years after our Lord’s death who did
indeed destroy the city and the sanctuary. This was Prince Titus, son
of the Roman emperor Vespasian. Following the attack on Jerusalem
by Cestius, who later retreated, Titus came to Jerusalem near the end
of the Jewish war of a.d . 66 to 70. During the awful siege every detail
of Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled, even to parents eating their own
sons and daughters. (See Jeremiah 19:9.)

J esus weeps over J erusalem

Knowing what awaited Jerusalem and the Jews, our Lord with a
heavy heart “beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst
known . . . the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are
hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine
enemies shall cast a trench about thee, . . . And shall lay thee even
with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not
leave in thee one stone upon another” (Luke 19:41-44). “For these be
the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be ful­
filled. . . . And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of
the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:22-
24). Josephus claims that more than a million Jews perished during
that terrible siege. Those not killed were sold into slavery. A monu-

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ment to this brutal siege and the success of the campaign can still be
seen on the Arch of Titus in Rome on which are carved representa­
tions of the spoils of the temple, such as the golden candlestick and
the table of showbread. A medal was struck eulogizing the deeds of
Rome in overthrowing the Jewish nation, with the legend, “Judaea
Capta.” The Roman senate gave high praise to the victory, honoring
'the divine Titus, son of the divine Vespasian the Emperor.”

T he prince w ho destroyed the city

Gabriel made reference to this when he told Daniel that the prince
who would come would “destroy the city and the sanctuary,” by a
devastating war resulting in the “overspreading of abominations”
Daniel 9:26, 27). O ur Lord was even more specific: “W hen ye there­
fore shall see the a b o m in a t io n of d eso la tio n , spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him under­
stand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains”
Matthew 24:15, 16). The “abomination of desolation” to which
Jesus referred was the pagan symbols of the Roman army, and they
did stand on the holy ground of the temple area.
Some interpreters make this part of Gabriel’s prophecy apply to
some antichrist of the future. However, the statement of our Lord,
later confirmed by history, identifies the “abomination” as the pagan
symbols of the ancient Roman army. It is regrettable that some, ap­
parently unacquainted with the facts of history, take this portion of
the prophecy and throw it far off into the future. They look for this
verse to be fulfilled by one they call the great antichrist, whom they
declare will appear after the second advent of our Lord and the “secret
rapture” of the church. Such interpreters actually make a mistake
similar to the one the Jews made two thousand years ago, when they
railed to recognize that the prophecies concerning the Messiah were
being fulfilled before their eyes. The Jews are still looking for a future
Messiah, when actually the Messiah of which the Scriptures speak has
already appeared in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. He fulfilled
every feature of this prophecy concerning His ministry. He was fi­
nally “cut off’ when He died the cruel death of the cross in our place.
Why look for some future prince to come and destroy the city of

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Jerusalem when everything the prophecy called for happened between
a .d . 31 and 70? The details our Lord gave have met their fulfillment
exactly as He said.

A bomination of desolation stands in the “ holy place”

Now, note one or two important details. Jesus said that the
“abomination of desolation” would “stand in the holy place.” “Then
let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains” (Matthew 24:15,
16). This is exactly what the faithful Christians did. They fled and
saved their lives, whereas the unbelieving Jews remained in the city,
and most of them perished in the awful siege.
W hy do some interpreters overlook the facts of history and look
for some future “abomination of desolation” or antichrist after our
Lord’s return for His church? Why? We will seek the answer in our
next chapter.

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 O ur Lord Jesus knew He would die a cruel death, but more, He
knew the year, day, and hour when His death would occur. He left
heaven not only to be a great teacher but to be a great sacrifice, to die
the death we deserved. Because we all have sinned, we needed some­
one to take the penalty of our transgression. But more, we needed
One who could represent us and intercede for us at the throne of
trace. The second Person of the Godhead pledged Himself to do this
ror us; therefore, “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent
forth his Son, . . . To redeem them that were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4, 5).
Christ died at the exact time specified in D aniel’s prophecy.
Six m onths before C hrist began His marvelous ministry, John the
Baptist came preaching, and saying, “Repent ye: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand” (M atthew 3:2). H ow did he know? He, like
Jesus, was a student o f the Scriptures. H e knew the great time
prophecies that related to both C hrist and the coming antichrist,
for Gabriel told Daniel about the “little horn” power that would
attem pt to change prophetic times and G od’s law— the Ten C om ­
mandments.

Prophecy inspired the Protestant movement

Those same prophecies inspired the Protestant Reformers of the
sixteenth century. Those Reformers applied them to the papal apos­
tasy. The books of Daniel and the Revelation were their special study,
and as a writer says, they “found from our sacred books [the Scrip­
tures] that the Pope was Antichrist, and the Church of Rome the
harlot of Babylon” (Rev. A. Nampon, S. J., Catholic Doctrine as De­
fined by the Council o f Trent, pages 103, 104).
In a tremendous endeavor to meet the challenge of these mighty
preachers and teachers, two spurious interpretations were devised in

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Unveiling Daniel and talation
order to lift the stigma from Roman Catholicism. These were known
as the preterist and futurist interpretations. They were developed by
Alcazar and Ribera. Ribera, a Jesuit theologian of the Roman Catho­
lic Counter-Reformation, actually applied the prophecy concerning
our Lord Jesus Christ to the antichrist. Speaking of the Messiah who
was to be “cut off’ or crucified, Gabriel said He “shall confirm the
covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27).
Christ began His public ministry in a .d . 27, at the end of the
sixty-nine prophetic weeks, or 483 years. Gabriel said that seventy
weeks, 490 years, were given especially for the Jews. “Seventy weeks
of years are decreed concerning your people” (verse 24, RSV). And
there was still one “week” of seven years yet to be fulfilled. “In the
midst” of that week, three and a half years after he began His minis-
trv, our Lord was crucified, or “cut off out of the land of the living”
(Isaiah 53:8).
During those three and a half intensive years of preaching, teach­
ing, and healing the sick, He was confirming the everlasting covenant.
Moreover He knew how long He had left in which to minister, for He
was working to a timetable. Many times He said, “my time is not yet
come” (John 7:6). But when that time arrived, he knew it. He re­
minded those who came to arrest Him that He had been in the temple
daily and they had not laid hands on Him. But “this is your hour,”
He said, “and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53).

C hrist died at the exact moment

Nothing that happened that night came as a surprise to the Sav­
ior. He knew not only the day and the hour He was to die, but also
the very moment of time. While hanging on the cross that Passover
day, He realized that the hour of the evening sacrifice had arrived, and
that the sacrificial priest with knife upraised was about to take the life
of the little lamb. At that moment the crucial cry came from the cross,
“It is finished” (John 19:30). Instantly, the veil in the temple was
ripped from ceiling to floor by an unseen hand. The knife dropped
from the nerveless hand of the priest, and the little lamb ran away
unhurt. A greater Lamb, the Lamb of God, had taken away the sin of

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the world! The Scripture says “in due time Christ died for the un­
godly” (Weymouth, third edition: “at the right moment,” Romans
5:6).
He paid the debt of our transgressions, bearing the whole world’s
sin, even the awful sin of His betrayal and rejection. Some who turned
against Him that day accepted Him later as their sin offering, recog­
nizing that the One whom they crucified had paid the price of their
forgiveness and by His grace had reconciled them to God.
O ur Lord’s ministry lasted just three and a half years, and on that
Passover day, a .d . 31, Jesus fulfilled all the elaborate services of the
Hebrew ritual. His sacrifice did indeed “cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27). It was the exact time— “in the midst
of the week” (verse 27).
But there were still three and a half years remaining of that last
prophetic week. During that time the disciples preached with great
power in Jerusalem, and thousands responded to their message, in­
cluding many of the priests. (See Acts 6:7.) At the end of that pro­
phetic week, Stephen, a deacon and an eloquent preacher, was sum­
moned to appear before the Sanhedrin because his presentation of
Jesus as the Messiah was so eloquent that the people “were not able to
resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake” (verse 10).

Stephen ’s death ends the seventy weeks

In his defense, Stephen unfolded the history of the nation, em­
phasizing the salient points, bringing it right down to their own day.
That powerful sermon, recorded in Acts 7, is one of the high points in
the New Testament story. Bu the elders of the Jews rushed upon him,
"cast him out of the city, and stoned him” (Acts 7:58). Stephen was
the first recorded Christian martyr. The date of that tragic event was
a .d . 34, just three and a half years after the crucifixion. This brought
to an end the seventy weeks “determined” or “allotted” to the Jewish
people.
As we have already seen, both the 490 years and the 2,300 years
began in 457 b .c . The exact fulfillment o f the details given by the
angel Gabriel should give every Bible student renewed confidence in
the “sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19).

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 Now let us pause to note again verses 26 and 27 of Daniel 9. That
portion needs to be studied with particular care. It is well for us to
remember that there were no punctuation marks in the original writ­
ing; all such markings having been added by translators. But for clar­
ity let us recognize that a couple of clauses, which obviously deal with
the “prince” who was to come, should be treated for what they really
are— a parenthetical element: [“And the people of the prince that
shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end there­
of shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined”] (Daniel 9:26). By placing this portion between brack­
ets, the whole matter is clarified. For the “he” mentioned at the begin­
ning of verse 27 properly belongs to “Messiah the Prince,” not to
Titus, the prince of Rome, who came later and destroyed the city. To
misapply that part of the Scripture and apply it to some antichrist of
the future really makes Christ and antichrist change places. Could we
imagine a greater misfortune than this?

H istory confirms the seventy-week prophecy

Six important predictions, mentioned in Daniel 9:24, were all
fulfilled during the seventieth week. These six points establish without
question the timing and the relationship of this great prophecy to our
Lord, for not one of these occurred during the preceding sixty-nine
weeks of years. The first three had to do with the blight of sin, stating
that our Lord would (1) “finish the transgression,” (2) “make an end
of sins [sin offerings] ” through His perfect atonement, and (3) “make
reconciliation for iniquity” by a substitutionary sacrifice of the Son of
God. The last three deal with the glorious realities of the gospel. These
are (4) “to bring in everlasting righteousness” as God’s free gift of
grace to all who will accept it, (5) “to seal up the vision and prophecy,”
and (6) “to anoint the most Holy” (Berkeley: “to consecrate the Holy
of Holies”). This our Lord did following His ascension, when He
entered “into heaven itself; now to appear in the presence of God for
us” (Hebrews 9:24).
The completion of our Lord’s sacrifice and victory climaxed in the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. This con­
firmed the truth that Christ is now our great High Priest at the throne

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of grace. Moffatt’s translation reads, “Seventy weeks of years are fixed
for your people and for your sacred city, to end guilt, to complete
sins, to expiate iniquity, to bring in everlasting purity, to ratify the
prophetic vision, and to consecrate a most sacred Place” (Daniel
9:24).
While some attempt to separate the seventieth week from the
sixty-nine, looking to the future for its fulfillment in the coming of
the antichrist, yet there seems no good reason for such an interpreta­
tion. Philip Mauro declares that “when a definite measure of time or
space is specified by the number of units composing it, within which
a certain event is to happen,. . . the units of time or space which make
up the measure are to be understood as meaning continuously and
successively.” This he declares to be “an absolute rule” (The Seventy
Weeks and the Great Tribulation).
While common sense and sound exegesis emphasize the wisdom
of this, history also proves the accuracy of such an interpretation.
In Exodus 30:26-30 and Exodus 40:9-13 we have the account of
the anointing and consecration of the Mosaic tabernacle before the
services began. And in Hebrews 8:1, 2; 9:11, 15 we have the record of
the heavenly sanctuary where Christ ministers, which was consecrated
at the beginning of His priestly work there.

C hrist’s ministry of reconciliation and judgment

Just as in the type there were two phases of ministry, reconcilia­
tion and judgment, so our heavenly High Priest has a ministry that
begins with reconciliation and will climax in the work of judgment.
Cue two apartments in the earthly sanctuary, the “holy place” and the
'm ost holy place,” represent these two vital phases of our Lord’s min­
istry. While the earthly sanctuary was small in its construction, it
typified great realities in His sacrifice and priestly ministry. W hen
Gabriel said, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall
the sanctuary be cleansed” (Daniel 8:14), he had reference not to a
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) of the earthly sanctuary but to the
Day of Atonement of the heavenly sanctuary.
Just as there came a day in ancient Israel when the high priest
performed the ceremonial service of cleansing, so in the heavenly

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sanctuary there is also a cleansing, and this will be by “better sacrifices”
than those offered in the earthly sanctuary (Hebrews 9:23). The Scrip­
ture says plainly that “without shedding of blood is no remission” or
forgiveness (verse 22). The earthly sanctuary was cleansed by the blood
of animals, but the “heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices
than these” (verse 23). In ancient Israel the day of cleansing, the Day
of Atonement, was a very solemn occasion. If anyone on that day re­
fused to confess his sins, he was “cut off’ from the congregation. It
was therefore a day of judgment and is so regarded by orthodox Jews
even to this day. Gabriel could just as easily have said, “Unto two
thousand three hundred years; then shall judgment day begin,” for
that is what the statement implies.

T e r m in a t io n of t h e pro ph ecy of 2 ,3 0 0 days

We have already noted the marvelous accuracy of the shorter

prophecy of seventy prophetic weeks, or 490 years, which ended in
a .d . 34. Subtracting 490 years from the longer period of 2,300 years
leaves 1,810 years. Finding the termination of the longer period is
very easy. Just add 1,810 to 34, and we come to the year 1844, when
the sanctuary would be “cleansed.” At that time our great High Priest,
“Messiah the Prince,” entered upon His closing work as our Media­
tor.
The everlasting gospel going to all the world today is, “Fear God,
and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come” (Revela­
tion 14:7). The apostle Paul preached about a judgment to come,
declaring that God “hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained;
whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Messiah, the Prince, who was raised
from the dead, is the appointed One to judge the world.

H O W SHALL WE STAND IN THE JUDGMENT?

W hen the Ancient of Days took His place to preside over that
august assembly, “the judgment was set, and the books were opened”
(Daniel 7:10). In those books is a record of every life lived on earth;
and in the closing work of our Tord in the heavenly sanctuary these

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records are examined, decisions reached, and rewards apportioned.
When our Lord appears in glory, He comes bringing His rewards
with Him (See Revelation 22:11, 12.) These words of Scripture in
Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14 are relevant and sobering! “Let us hear the con­
clusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments.
. . . For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
When we think of the Judge of all the earth reviewing the cases in
that judgment, it is reassuring to recall the words of Jesus: “He that
keareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation” (John 5:24). If we are
living the life of overcomers, we can claim our Lord’s promise that we
shall be “clothed in white raiment.” His assurance is, “I will not blot
out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before
my Father” (Revelation 3:5).
Sad to say, some will have their names blotted out of the book of
life because they are not living the life of victory through God’s grace.
As we noticed earlier, the great Judge opens before the intelligent
universe all the records of His dealings with men and angels. Thus he
vindicates His own character, “that every mouth may be stopped”
Romans 3:19). No word can ever be justly spoken against the justice
and the mercy of our great God and Savior.
Sensing what is going on now in the heavenly sanctuary, every
one of us should examine our lives, making sure that we are living
victoriously by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God.

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 We have now reached the closing section of the book of Daniel.
The last three chapters belong together. Chapter 10 is an introduction
to the largest, most involved prophecy in the whole Bible, reaching
from Daniel’s day to the end of time.
The revelation came to him in the third year of the reign of King
Cyrus, 535 b .c . The prophet is specific in his description of what hap­
pened. He uses his own Hebrew name, Daniel, as well as Belteshazzar,
the name given him by Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonian Empire has
passed; and, although Daniel was about ninety years of age, he was
still an officer of state, but now in the empire of Persia. He had al­
ready received visions vital to his nation, but what was now revealed
was tremendously important. He had been “mourning three full
weeks” (Daniel 10:2).
D uring that long fast he had taken “no pleasant bread” (verse
3) and had abstained from the normal comforts of life. He was
greatly burdened for his nation. Cyrus had issued a decree perm it­
ting the Jews to return and begin rebuilding the temple in Jerusa­
lem. The builders had met with such stern opposition from their
neighbors, the Samaritans, however, that the work that had begun
w ith such enthusiasm had temporarily stopped. This weighed
heavily on D aniel’s heart, and he gave himself to prayer and fast­
ing. He had chosen some place o f retirement on the bank o f the
River Hiddekel or Tigris, probably close to where it joins the Eu­
phrates, about a hundred miles north of the Persian Gulf. It being
the Passover season, followed by the Feast o f Unleavened Bread,
he was vividly reminded o f Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian
bondage nearly a thousand years earlier. He was certain that the
same G od who so miraculously worked for His people in the past
was able to meet the opposition o f present enemies. Thus the
prophet prayed.

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 Divine Intervention in international Politics
D aniel beholds D eity
Looking up, he saw a mighty celestial Being in dazzling brightness
wearing a golden girdle. The Being’s eyes appeared like flaming torches,
and His limbs were like burnished brass. The sight was overwhelming.
He spoke with a voice as of a multitude. Here was One who surpassed
in splendor even the angel Gabriel.
Comparing the words of Daniel 10:5 , 6 with Ezekiel 1:24-28 and
Revelation 1: 13- 16, we cannot doubt that Daniel, Ezekiel, and John
were each describing the same Being. The Lord of all the earth had
come in person to His praying servant on the bank o f the river. Little
wonder the prophet was overcome with fear.
Daniel tells us that he was alone when he received his vision of
majestic splendor. As he swooned and fell to his knees, he heard a
reassuring voice saying, “O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, under­
stand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright” (Daniel
10: 11) .
This was not the voice of the celestial Being he had just seen in
vision, but the familiar voice of Gabriel who had appeared to him on
other occasions. The angel continued, “Fear not, Daniel: for from the
flrst day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, . . . thy words
were heard, and I am come for thy words” (Berkeley: “ T have come
in response to your prayers’ ”) (verse 12). How wonderful to know
that when we seek God in earnest prayer as did Daniel, heavenly an­
gels bring the answer.
Three weeks had passed since the prophet began his prayer vigil.
Why the long delay? W e now enter into one of the most profound
revelations in all the Bible. In verse 13 we catch a brief glimpse of
the unseen struggle between G od’s loyal angels and Satan’s rebel
hosts. The Scriptures picture these forces as real and substantial. The
apostle Paul said: “For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it
is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up
against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual
agents from the very headquarters of evil” (Ephesians 6 : 12, Phil­
lips). The same apostle reveals that behind the idols of the heathen
are demons to whom they make their sacrifices. (See 1 Corinthians
10: 20 .)

5—U, D. R. 129
D emon powers seek to thwart G o d ’s plans
So real are these demonic powers that they delayed even the
mighty Gabriel from changing the circumstances to make possible the
favorable answer to Daniel’s prayer. Notice the angel’s words: “The
prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me” (verse 13). The word
“prince,” sar in Hebrew, occurs over four hundred times in the Old
Testament. It means “ruler,” “governor,” or “military commander.”
The prince of whom Gabriel speaks could well have been Cyrus. But
influencing him was another unseen power— “the prince of the power
of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), one who seeks to control this dark world
of sin, the author of evil, Satan himself. The meaning of the word
Satan is “adversary.”
Gabriel disclosed now to Daniel that not until Michael came to
his aid was he able to move upon the heart of King Cyrus to deal with
the enemies of the Jews and permit the rebuilding program to pro­
ceed. W ho is this “Michael”? He is “one of the chief princes” (or “the
first of the princes,” Daniel 10:13). The name appears three times in
the book of Daniel. The earliest occurrence in the Bible story is when
“Michael the archangel” contended with the devil about the body of
Moses. In that contention, Michael said to the devil, “The Lord re­
buke thee” (Jude 9). Michael means “who [is] like God?”
It is the Archangel who calls the dead to life at the Second Advent,
and Jesus declared that all who are in their graves shall hear His
(Jesus’) voice and come forth. (See John 5:28, 29.) In Daniel 12,
Michael is called “the great prince which standeth for the children of
thy people” (verse 1). Putting these scriptures together, we must agree
with Melanchthon, the great Reformer, who insisted that Michael
should be identified with Christ Himself. Certainly Christ is the One
who has stood for Daniel’s people through all their struggles. As Re­
deemer, Deliverer, Sustainer, and coming King, he will at last lead
His people through the pearly gates into the H oly City.

W ho is M ichael?
Gabriel told Daniel, “There is none that holdeth with me in these
things, but Michael your prince” (Daniel 10:21). This has led some to
believe that Michael is in a special sense the guardian angel of the Jews.

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But He is the One who calls not only Jews back to life, but all who have
died in the hope of the resurrection. Michael “the great prince,” (Daniel
12:1) is also called the “Prince oflife” (Acts 3:15), the “Prince of princes”
(Daniel 8:25), “Messiah the Prince” (Daniel 9:25), the “Prince of
Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and the “prince of the kings of the earth” (Revela­
tion 1:5). He is greater than Gabriel, for He created the angels and ev­
ery other creature in the universe. Significantly, the only time He is
called Michael is when he is matching His power against the prince of
evil, and each time he emerges the mighty Conqueror.
In warfare it is vital to know the strategy of the enemy. So in our
warfare against Satan and his hosts we need to know something of the
strategy of those forces of evil. We need even more than knowledge;
we need “the whole armour of God” (Ephesians 6:11). Speaking of
his victory, the angel told Daniel that he remained at the Persian court
and, according to the Knox translation, “was left master of the field”
iDaniel 10:13).
“I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people
in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days,” said Gabriel
(verse 14). Moffatt translates this, “ ‘Now I am here to let you know
what is to befall your people at the end of the ages; for this vision re­
lates to the far future.’ ”
Daniel’s people, of course, were the Jews. According to the angel,
something special would happen to these people in the “latter days,”
that is, “at the end of the ages.” The long prophecy of chapter 11 traces
the events which lead to the final crisis for the Jews and the whole
world. Many nations are introduced in this prophecy, not because of
their importance nationally, but simply because of their relationship to
Israel through the centuries, either as persecutors or deliverers. This will
continue through all time, and at “the end of the ages,” “the latter days,”
'thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in
the book” (Daniel 12:1). In that great day, race will mean nothing. To
be found written in the book will mean everything.

D aniel— prophet “ greatly beloved ”

The presence and appearance of the celestial Being had left the
prophet speechless and in a state of prostration. After Gabriel had

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tried to encourage Daniel and had disclosed to him what was happen­
ing behind the scenes, the prophet was overwhelmed still by the rev­
elation. He needed to be not only encouraged but supernaturally
strengthened— this time by a being described as one who appeared as
a man, saying, “O man greatly beloved, fear n o t,. . . be strong” (Dan­
iel 10:19). Now Daniel was ready for the full revelation of that which
“is noted in the scripture of truth” (verse 21).
Prophets had written, and other prophets were still to write, con­
cerning the long ages of suffering and oppression, not only for Israel,
but for all God’s people. But in “the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9
[“ ‘the crisis at the close,’ ” Moffatt]) God’s character will be vindi­
cated in all His children. His purpose will be fully understood, and
His people delivered eternally.
This is the theme of all revelation, but especially of this vision of
the eleventh chapter, this most interesting prophecy which the angel
was about to unfold. Before he did, he asked Daniel, “ ‘Do you know
why I have come unto you?’ ” (Daniel 10:20, RSV). It was not only
to give the prophet a wonderful revelation, but also “ ‘to fight with the
prince of Persia’ ” (verse 20). Read these words with particular care.
In the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament), the
Hebrew word im (“with”) is translated by the Greek word meta,
meaning not “against,” but “in common with,” “alongside.” In other
words Gabriel was not fighting against the prince of Persia, but “along­
side” him, “in common with” him. For three weeks the king of Persia
had been influenced by demonic powers, which Gabriel helped him
to withstand. But it was not until Michael, the preexistent Son of
God, came to Gabriel’s aid that the angel was able to visit Daniel.
Now, Gabriel said that as soon as he had delivered his full message he
would return to the king of Persia, thus helping him to carry out
God’s purpose in the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Gabriel also foretold, “W hen I am gone forth,” (that is, when he
would withdraw his support from Persia), “lo, the prince [or ruler] of
Grecia shall come” (verse 20). So long as it was in the plan of God,
Persia would stand. But at last Greece would become a world king­
dom, the detailed history of which the angel was about to reveal.
We will study this in the next chapter.

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 A Drolitical In iu e Divides Greek Ernie
The last two chapters of Daniel are a fascinating forecast of his­
tory. So plain is this prophecy that Porphyry, Syrian sophist of the
third century A.D., claimed it could not possibly have been written
before the events occurred, but that it must be the work of some “pi­
ous Jew” pretending to be a prophet. “No man could forecast history
with such exactitude,” he said. Following his lead, the critics of our
day make the same claim.
W hile Daniel 11 is both remarkably intricate and precise, it is
not beyond our understanding. The prophecies presented in early
chapters are now more fully developed as Gabriel unfolds the de­
tails of this, the most complex prophecy in G od’s W ord. W hen
the Babylonian Empire collapsed, Cyrus, the Persian conqueror,
apparently had appointed Darius the Mede, probably his uncle
and father-in-law, as king of Babylon, where he reigned for two
vears until his death. The angel Gabriel, who had been working so
definitely in influencing King Cyrus to suppress the enemies of
the Jewish rebuilding program in Jerusalem, now tells Daniel he
had also stood by Darius the Mede to strengthen him. (See Daniel
11: 1.)
The essence of the prophecy begins with these words: “ ‘Three
more kings will appear in Persia, and the fourth will far surpass all the
others in wealth; and when he has extended his power through his
wealth, he will rouse the whole world against the kingdom of Greece’ ”
verse 2, NEB).
The Medo-Persian Empire was well established with Cyrus as the
ruling king when Daniel received this vision. The four kings therefore
are Cambyses, son of Cyrus, who ruled from 530 to 522 b .c .; Smerdis,
die imposter, who ruled only seven months; Darius Hystaspes, also
anown as Darius the Great, 522—486 b .c .; and Xerxes, the Ahasuerus
or Esther 1:1, who ruled from 486 to 465 b .c .

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 Xerxes was both wealthy and self-assured. Having amassed an
army that Herodotus says consisted of more than five million men (a
modern estimate puts the figure at 250,000), he declared war on
Greece, but suffered a humiliating defeat at Salamis in 480 b .c . Persia
never really recovered from it. After Xerxes came nine minor kings,
but the prophecy takes no account of them.

A1 exander buil ds a new empire

The next outstanding ruler, destined to “do according to his
will,” was Alexander the Great, who in eight years welded the Greek
city-states into an empire. The angel described him as a “mighty
king” who would “do according to his will” (verse 3). “ ‘But as soon
as he is established,’ ” the angel said, “ ‘his kingdom will be shat­
tered and split up north, south, east, and west. It will not pass to his
descendants, nor will any of his successors have an empire like his’ ”
(verse 4, NEB).
Alexander advanced as far as the plains of northern India. But
his soldiers, having been away from home for years, begged him to
return. He did, expecting to set up his world headquarters in Baby­
lon. But in the midst of his conquests he contracted a severe fever
following a drunken spree. He could conquer the world, but not
himself, and he died in 323 b .c . His ambitious projects collapsed
and went into eclipse, as we have seen. The empire was rent by civil
strife for the next twenty years. The words of the prophecy are exact:
The kingdom would be divided, but “not to his posterity” (verse
4).
Alexander’s four leading generals, after long and complicated
struggles, divided the empire “toward the four winds of heaven” (verse
4). In 301 b .c . Lysimachus took the north; Ptolemy, the south; Seleucus,
the east; and Cassander, the west. These were later reduced to three;
Seleucus having swallowed up the domains of Tysimachus. That en­
larged kingdom then became, in the language of the prophecy, the
“king of the north” (verse 6), with Egypt and its environs being the
“king of the south” (verse 5). Throughout the centuries, in spite of
wars and revolutions that brought changes in boundaries and rulers,
the prophecy refers to them by these terms— the “king of the north”

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and the “king of the south.” Historians call the continual conflicts of
these times the Syrian Wars, Judea being a buffer state between the
two.

A PATCHED-UP PEACE
At last the king of the north and the king o f the south made
peace when Ptolemy II, called Philadelphus, gave his daughter,
Berenice, in marriage to Antiochus Theos, grandson of Seleucus.
“They shall join themselves together,” says the prophecy, “for the
king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to
make an agreement” (verse 6). To seal the agreement, Laodice,
wife of Antiochus, was divorced and her children declared illegiti­
mate— a poor foundation for a lasting peace. A large dowry ac­
companied Berenice. Later, when her father died, Antiochus di­
vorced her and took back his former wife, Laodice. Fearing further
disgrace, this reclaimed wife had her husband poisoned and her
own son placed on the throne. N ot long afterward she had her ri­
val, Berenice, assassinated together with Egyptian friends who had
come with her.
The remarkable accuracy of the prophecy is evident. “She shall be
given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her [“ ‘her
child,’ ” NEB]” (verse 6). “ ‘Then another shoot from the same stock
as hers will appear in his father’s place,’ ” says the prophecy (verse 7,
NEB).
Ptolemy Euergetes, who came to the Egyptian throne upon the
death of his father Philadelphus, determined to avenge the death of
his sister Berenice. W ith a large army he invaded the north and
marched eastward as far as Babylon. He was compelled to return to
Egypt because of an insurrection, but he brought with him from the
kingdom of Seleucus a large booty, including two thousand gold and
silver images and four thousand talents of gold, forty thousand talents
of silver, and precious vessels which Cambyses of Persia had carried
into Syria 280 years earlier. It was then that the people named him
"Euergetes,” meaning “benefactor.” These ruling and warring families
were not Syrians or Egyptians; they were Greeks, descendants of
-Alexander’s generals.

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 During all these wars, Daniel’s people, the Jews, knew little peace.
But despite the warfare and intrigue surrounding them they remained
in the Holy Land. Moreover, they were able to check constantly the
accuracy of Daniel’s prophecies. More important still, during these
decades of intrigue, they gave to the world the famous Greek transla­
tion of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX). The Hebrew reli­
gion and literature was thus made available to the nations around
them.
After Ptolemy’s crushing defeat of the Syrians, the area enjoyed a
few years respite from war. But Seleucus Callinicus, having reestab­
lished his power in Asia, made a foolhardy expedition into Egypt in
242 b . c . His forces were routed, and he lost his fleet in a severe storm.
He was then obliged to return to his own land, thus fulfilling in detail
the prophecy of verse 9.
N ot long afterward, Callinicus, Seleucus II, fell from his horse
and died. He was succeeded by his son Ceraunus, Seleucus III, who
reigned only three years, and then his brother Antiochus III came to
the throne. These brothers shared their father’s determination to re­
pair the national fortunes and avenge their humiliating defeat.
Antiochus commenced with such a show of strength that he was
called Antiochus Magnus, “the Great.” His reign was marked by in­
cessant warfare. He took advantage of the weak and indecisive king of
Egypt, Ptolemy IV, Philopater. Having raised a great force, he
launched an offensive against the king of the south. The Syrians
seemed irresistible, and as the prophecy declares, he did “overflow,
and pass through” (verse 10) Gaza, Phoenicia, and Judea. W ith per­
haps as much as seventy thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry,
Antiochus advanced to the Egyptian border. At the frontiers of Ra-
phia, in 217 b . c ., his forces were surprisingly defeated and his army
routed, leaving ten thousand slain and four thousand taken prisoner.

K ing of the south profanes the J ewish temple

Ptolemy, elated over his success, continued to fulfill prophecy
by annexing Palestine. The Jews were thus forced again to change
their allegiance from Syria to Egypt. Instead of moving on to con­
solidate his gains, the Egyptian ruler, the king of the south, made

136
peace with Antiochus, the king of the north. He insulted the Jews
by entering the temple area and attempting to ofFer sacrifice, a rite
reserved for consecrated priests only. W hen he insisted on entering
the Holy of Holies he “fell speechless to the ground,” according to
legend, and was carried out half dead. Disgraced and furious, he
returned to Alexandria. In this city, a stronghold for the Jews, he
instituted a murderous persecution against these unfortunate peo­
ple, demanding that they worship his idols. More than forty thou­
sand Jews preferred death to idolatry. The prophecy said he would
“cast down many ten thousands” (verse 12).
Such slaughter God could not let go unpunished. So “after certain
years,” the king of the north, Antiochus, after strengthening himself,
brought many elephants from India and again invaded Egypt, This
time his attack was indeed “greater than the former” (verse 13). Many
others joined the forces of the Syrian king, including some violent
Jews who called themselves “the sons of Tobias.” These refractory
Jews seemed to think they might establish this vision of Daniel and
ultimately regain their independence as a nation. They found their
hopes frustrated, however, and their plans overthrown. Many per­
ished in the ensuing conflicts. Antiochus, using Judea as a station
from which to menace Egypt, left his armies there, and the little land
of Judea, the scene of bitter hostilities between north and south, was
laid waste.
“And in those times there shall many stand up against the king
of the south,” says the prophecy (verse 14). W ith the death of both
the king and the queen of Egypt, probably by poisoning, and a
four-year-old son being placed on the throne, Antiochus, the mas­
ter tactician, saw the possibility of revenge for his overthrow at
Raphia.
To make sure of victory, he made an alliance with Philip V of
Macedonia, and together these kings gathered a greater army than
before, intending to divide the territory between them. But they
failed to recognize that the child king of Egypt was under the legal
guardianship of the Roman Senate, which promptly declared war
on Philip V and forced Antiochus to make peace with Egypt, king
of the south.

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 Verse 15 speaks of “the most fenced cities” (“ ‘a fortified town,’ ”
NEB). This city was Gaza, which bravely stood out against Antiochus.
But at last it, too, was forced to surrender as the prophecy had de­
clared: “The arms of the south shall not withstand” (verse 15).
Moreover, Hannibal, the veteran enemy of Rome, joined his forces
with Antiochus. Next we find Rome declaring war against Syria in
191 b .c . Defeated by this rising world power, Antiochus was forced
to accept the terms the Romans offered him, which included the
payment of a large yearly tribute to the Senate. In addition, his
young son, later to become the notorious Antiochus Epiphanes, had
to go to Rome as a hostage. Thus Rome, the fourth world empire,
comes into the prophetic picture. From this point on, until the end
of time, this power will have a prom inent place both in prophecy
and history.

T he rising power of R ome

The Scripture introduces this new power under the description
“He that cometh against him shall do according to his own will”
(verse 16). This expression was also used in reference to Alexander the
Great. (See verse 3.) But the context shows that here it alludes neither
to him nor to Antiochus Epiphanes, as some commentators suggest,
though it would be hard to find a more accurate description of Rome
than in the last part of the verse: “And none shall stand before him:
and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be
consumed” (verse 16).
Although the king of the north had conquered the Egyptian forces,
neither he nor any other kingdom could stand before the growing
power of Rome. Syria eventually became a Roman province under
Pompey in 65 b .c . Judea came under the full jurisdiction of Rome in
63 B.c. Nearly a century earlier, in 161 b .c ., the Jews had entered into
an alliance, called “the League.” By this they hoped to protect them­
selves against the Syrian persecutions under Antiochus Epiphanes,
son of Antiochus the Great, who, as mentioned above, had been a
hostage in Rome. His rule was marked by cruelties and indignities.
In the end, that alliance with Rome proved to be the Jews’ undo­
ing. This is invariably the result when the people of God line up with

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the world. Had the Jewish leaders heeded the counsel of Isaiah and
Jeremiah, history would have been written differently.
Every sentence in verses 17 to 22 adds to the prophetic picture. It
is an accurate forecast of the great events in Rome’s march to world
empire. It is strange that certain interpreters fail to see the great events
in the history of Rome, so accurately predicted in this prophecy. In­
stead, they go in search of incidents in the life and work of Antiochus
Epiphanes. An example of this is found in the voluminous notes in
this chapter in the RSV Annotated Bible. If one did not know better,
he would be led by such commentators to regard this weak and half­
witted king, who reigned only a few years, as the central figure in this
long and wonderful prophecy. It would be strange if we did not know
that this whole system of interpretation is a design on the part of the
great enemy of truth and righteousness to lead men’s minds from a
true understanding of history in order to lift the stigma from the
antichrist of the centuries.
Thomas Newton’s rendering of verse 17 is, “He [that is, Rome]
shall set his face to enter by force the whole kingdom” (Dissertations
on the Prophecies, vol. 1, page 356). All that was left of the “whole
kingdom” of Alexander was Egypt, Thrace, Macedonia, and Judea.
Syria had already been conquered by the Romans, who then set out to
force Egypt, the king of the south, into subjection. O ur next chapter
will trace briefly Rome’s rulership in the light of this prophecy.

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 W hen Ptolemy Auletes died in 51 b .c . he left the throne to his
daughter Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XII, a lad of ten years.
The king’s will provided that they should marry each other— then a
common practice in Egyptian royalty— and reign jointly. Because
they were young, the guardianship of Rome was sought. The people
appointed Pompey as overseer of the court. Three years later, trouble
broke out between Pompey and Julius Caesar, which ended in the
Battle of Pharsalus. Pompey was defeated and fled to Egypt. Caesar
followed him there. Pompey was killed, and Caesar found Egypt in
commotion. Ptolemy and Cleopatra were quarreling. She claimed
that he had deprived her of her share in the government. Caesar gave
orders that the armies of each had to disband and that both Ptolemy
and Cleopatra appear before him and then abide by his decision. Ad­
vocates were appointed for each side to plead for their respective par­
ties. Cleopatra determined to conquer Caesar by feminine wiles rather
than by military force or advocate’s arguments. She had the right to
be heard if Caesar was to be the judge. So she arranged for a boatman
to take her to him.
To reach his presence undetected she had Apollodonum, her Si­
cilian slave, wrap her up in a cloth and tie the package with thongs.
Then raising it to his “Herculean shoulders,” he sought Caesar’s apart­
ments, claiming to have a special present for the Roman general. Be­
ing admitted into Caesar’s presence, he laid the burden at his feet and
made a speedy exit. W hen this animated bundle was unbound, there
stood the beautiful and voluptuous Cleopatra before him.
The prophecy of chapter 11 could well refer to this, where we
read in verse 17: “And he shall give him the daughter of women,
corrupting her [margin: ‘to corrupt’].” While Caesar was past fifty
and Cleopatra merely twenty-two, she was as ambitious as he. She
became his mistress and bore him a son. His infatuation for the

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queen kept him much longer in Egypt than his affairs asked for. This
may have been a contributing factor in the plot to assassinate him at
the zenith of his power. The next verse seems to express this thought:
“A prince . . . shall cause the reproach . . . to turn upon him ” (verse
18). And is that not what happened? As he passed into the Senate
chamber, Cassius and Brutus, outwardly friends of Caesar, signaled
to the conspirators, and almost instantly twenty daggers were buried
in his body, leaving the greatest general in Rome’s history silent in
death in the Forum.

Caesar returns to Italy

Before that murder, however, many other details in the prophecy
were to be fulfilled. Verse 18 says, “Shall he turn his face unto the
isles, and shall take many.” Some see in the expression, “the isles,”
nothing more than the coastlands of northern Africa, but Caesar had
conquered more than Egypt; his aim was to rule the world. W hen
trouble broke out in the Cimmerian Bosporus, Julius Caesar was
called into action. Later he landed in Sicily with legions of men and
six thousand horses. He then set sail for Africa, appearing at the Re­
publican’s camp, and summoned them to surrender to “Caesar the
Imperator.” They refused, saying they acknowledged no imperator
but Scipio. War ensued, which Caesar won. He then claimed the
north coast of Africa.
One of the tragic losses of Caesar’s war was the destruction of the
famous Alexandrian library of nearly four hundred thousand volumes,
a tremendous collection for those days. It happened this way. Pothimus,
chief minister of state for Egypt, was afraid of Caesar’s influence.
Fearing that Julius might give Cleopatra complete power, he insti­
gated a sedition that resulted in an attempt to burn the Roman fleet.
Caesar responded by burning the Egyptian’s fleet. Some of the burn­
ing vessels were driven by the wind near the quay, and the fire spread
to some of the city’s buildings, including the grand library.
The prophecy also mentions that the “upright ones” would be
with him (verse 17). Antipater of Idumea joined Caesar against Egypt,
bringing with him three thousand Jews. The Jews held the frontier
gateways into the country through which the Roman armies were

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permitted to pass without interruption. All of this had a bearing on
the outcome. Commenting on this, Uriah Smith says, “A decisive
battle was fought near the Nile by the fleets of Egypt and Rome, re­
sulting in complete victory for Caesar. Ptolemy, attempting to escape,
was drowned in the river. Alexandria and all Egypt then submitted to
the victor. Rome had now entered into and absorbed the entire origi­
nal kingdom of Alexander” {Daniel and the Revelation, 1944 ed., page
251).

J ulius C aesar assassinated

Having accomplished so much for the empire, Julius Caesar, as
the prophecy said, turned “his face toward the fort of his own land”
(verse 19). Upon arriving in Rome, he was made dictator for life.
Having been granted many other honors, he was, in fact, absolute
sovereign of the empire. But the same Scripture says, “He shall stum­
ble and fall, and not be found” (verse 19). How true that was! This
man who had fought and won fifty battles, taken more than a thou­
sand cities at the cost of 1,192,000 of his soldiers, fell— not amid the
strife of the battlefield— but just when he thought all was well.
The night before his assassination in 44 b .c . he was dining with
Lepidus and a group of his friends. In casual conversation Caesar was
asked, “W hat is the best way to die?” “Suddenly,” he replied as he
continued to sign letters. The next day, at noon, the mighty Caesar,
the man who had done “according to his own will” (verse 16), lay
dead at the foot of Pompey’s statue in the Roman Forum.
As Julius Caesar had no legitimate sons, Octavius, his nephew
whom he had adopted, became his heir and succeeded him. Announc­
ing publicly his adoption by his uncle, he immediately took his name,
which from that time became the title for the Roman emperors. He
joined Mark Antony and Lepidus to avenge the death of Caesar. The
three formed the triumvirate form of government. W hen the other
two members died, Octavius became emperor. The Senate also con­
ferred on him the title Augustus.
For some years the so-called Republic of Rome was torn with in­
ternal strife and war, but at length discipline and peace were estab­
lished. The Battle of Actium in 31 B.c. left Augustus sole ruler. He

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 Pfophecy's Forecast of Home’s Ruleiship
proved both wise and strong. He replaced chaos and anarchy by im­
perial organization that lasted, with varying vicissitudes, for the next
four centuries. He possessed the unusual ability to levy taxes without
upsetting the populace too much. His taxes were light, but universal,
and they supplied the funds for the imperial government. He was
both clever and efficient. As an empire-wide enroller for taxation, he
comes prominently into the Bible story. Note the exact description in
Daniel 11:20: “Then shall stand up in his estate [Julius Caesar’s place]
a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom.”

Caesar A ugustus enrolls the world

The special importance of this prophecy is manifested by its re­
markable place in the history of salvation. “It came to pass in those
days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the
world should be taxed” (Luke 2:1). It was that decree which brought
Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. While they were there, Jesus was born.
“All the world” is a sweeping statement, and the one who enforced such
a worldwide decree should surely have the title “a raiser of taxes” above
all others. Again we pause to comment on the strange lengths to which
some commentators go, seeking for other incidents and personalities to
fit the prophecy differently, simply to avoid applying these verses to
Rome. Thus unwittingly perhaps, they corrupt the truth and lose the
real message that Gabriel gave to Daniel especially for the last days.
They attempt to make Heliodorus, the Syrian treasurer, this “raiser of
taxes,” because he hated the Jews and inflicted very heavy taxes on them.
However, this happened more than a century earlier than the context
justifies. It also ignores the fact that Luke 2:1 seems to be a direct allu­
sion to Daniel’s prophecy. Besides, the taxing of Heliodorus was limited
to the Jews, whereas that of Augustus extended to “all the world,”
including Palestine. Moreover, this “raiser of taxes” appeared “in the
glory of the kingdom” (Daniel 11:20).
Rome reached the pinnacle of her greatness during the Augustan
age. It was a time of peace and comparative justice. Unlimited lux­
ury was reigned in, and law and order were established. The temple
of Janus at Rome was shut for the first time since 235 b . c . This sig­
nified that all the world was at peace. How does this compare to the

143
rather insignificant kingdom of Syria, with its even less illustrious
Heliodorus, which some commentators see as the fulfillment of this
great prophecy?
Augustus died, as the prophecy foretold, “neither in anger, nor in
battle” (verse 20). Julius Caesar met his death in anger, but Augustus
died peacefully in bed at the high age of seventy-six, his wife being by
his side.
He had gone to the quiet resort town of Nola for health reasons and
while there suffered a heart attack. His wife, Livia, did not notify the Sen­
ate, as she was eager for her son to become emperor. She knew the well-
deserved contempt in which her son was held by many, but she was de­
termined to prevent any attempt to place someone else on the throne.
Tiberius was a contrast in every way to Augustus. The prophecy
says plainly, “In his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they
shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peace­
ably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries” (verse 21).
Tiberius was indeed a vile person (“contemptible person,” RSV).
Seneca declared that Tiberius was intoxicated only once in his life,
and that was all the time! He showed few qualities of a ruler. When
Livia urged Augustus to nominate Tiberius, her son by a former mar­
riage, to succeed him as emperor, he replied, “Your son is too vile to
wear the purple of Rome.” Agrippa, a highly respected man, was
nominated instead, but he died before the death of Augustus.
N ot to be outdone, Livia gained her end by “flatteries” as the
prophecy declared. She organized a royal party in honor of the em­
peror. When things were at their height, and after a flattering speech
about her husband’s fine qualities, she repeated her request for Tiberius’s
nomination for the throne. Augustus, unwilling to hurt her feelings,
made the official announcement. His sudden demise left no time to
change anything. So Tiberius, the “vile person” (verse 21), came to
the throne. To him, however, they did “not give the honour of the
kingdom” (verse 21), for he lost the respect of the citizens of Rome.

C hrist crucified during reign of T iberius

The next verse (verse 22) tells of “ ‘overwhelming forces’ ” (Berke­
ley) being swept away. The reign of Tiberius was marked by frequent

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 Prophecy's F o n t of Romo's
revolutions and violence. “ ‘Armies shall be utterly swept away before
him and broken, and the prince of the covenant also’ ” (verse 22, RSV).
This is “Messiah the Prince,” who was to “confirm the covenant with
many for one week” (Daniel 9:25, 27). During the reign of Tiberius,
our Lord was crucified. Pilate owed his governorship of Judea only to
the favor of Tiberius, the uncle of his wife. So, when someone in the
crowd shouted, “If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend”
(John 19:12), he gave in to the demands of the Jewish leaders. This
setded the verdict. Pilate, the vacillating princeling who knew that Jesus
was innocent, gave the order for Him to be scourged and crucified.
Christ, the Prince of the covenant, began His ministry in the au­
tumn of a .d . 27, which terminated three-and-a-half years later in the
spring of a .d . 31. The power responsible for our Lord’s crucifixion
was the one that 192 years earlier had entered into the league, the al­
liance with Judah, in 161 b .c . At that time the Romans were a “small
people” as the prophecy says, but they began to work deceitfully, as
Daniel 11:23 foretold.
Having traced the story of Rome from verses 14-22 until the
most important, the substitutionary death of the Messiah, “the prince
of the covenant,” the angel, in order to impress the significance of that
event, now reaches back to another milestone for the Jewish people,
the entering into the league, that is, the alliance of friendship and
mutual assistance between Judah and Rome. Josephus tells how the
Jews, led by the high priest, entered into this league with enthusiasm
(Antiquities, XII, chap. 10).
The prophecy predicted that “he shall enter peaceably even upon
the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fa­
thers have not done” (verse 24). Posing as defenders of the weak, the
Romans were the first in a large way to capitalize on the hopes of op­
pressed peoples. They soon became “the world’s national referee,” as
one writer expressed it. By offering a sense of security, they extended
their authority from Northern Africa to England, and from Spain to
Palestine. Whole countries were bequeathed to the Roman Senate.
Pax Romana extended to the civilized world.
The last part of verse 24 says, “even for a time.” If we regard that
“time” as prophetic, it would be 360 years, according to biblical

145
reckoning as noted in earlier chapters. Counting from September 2,
32 b . c ., when the decisive Battle of Actium was fought, from which
Augustus dated his reign, a prophetic “time” of 360 years would bring
us to a .d . 330. In this year Constantine removed the capital of the
empire from Rome to Constantinople, an event regarded by many as
a fulfillment of verse 24.
During most of those 360 years the empire was marked by in­
trigue. Before Octavius (Caesar Augustus) came to power, there was
keen rivalry between him and his brother-in-law, Mark Antony, who
also had come under the spell of Cleopatra. These two rivals are de­
scribed in verses 26 and 27. While formerly in alliance, Antony and
Octavius each aspired to complete dominion. While they could out­
wardly enjoy “ ‘sitting at the same table, they will lie to each other
with advantage to neither’ ” (verse 27, NEB). Octavia, sister of Octa­
vius, declared she had married Antony in the hope of keeping these
two men as friends. True to the prophecy, however, it did not “pros­
per” (verse 27). In a very short time Antony and Cleopatra, for whom
he had divorced his wife, were both dead— he by a self-inflicted dag­
ger and she by the bite of an asp (probably an Egyptian cobra) smug­
gled into her presence in a basket of fruit.
One of the last campaigns of Octavius, by the authority of the Senate,
was his war against Cleopatra, which also meant war with Antony. The
latter, sensing the impending crisis, set sail for Athens, issuing orders
everywhere for men and ships. Antony’s fleet was anchored in the
Ambracian Gulf, while his land forces were encamped on the north shore
of the inlet, a most unhealthful spot, and one that caused the death of
many troops. Some of his chief officers were won over to Octavius. The
rest, disgusted by Cleopatra’s influence on Antony, deserted him.
Antony, urged by Cleopatra, made his attack from the sea. Soon
the wind fell, however, and his large, nearly unmanageable vessels
proved no match for Octavius’s light oar-propelled ships. W hen at
last the wind sprang up, the Egyptian queen with sixty ships set sail
for the south. Antony, realizing that the situation was hopeless, sprang
from his ship onto a light galley and followed. By nightfall the rem­
nants of the Egyptian fleet were destroyed. Rome had conquered, and
Octavius was the hero.

146
 If we are right in applying these verses to Rome, then we should
note with care two uses of the word return in verse 28. The first is re­
lated to Octavius. Returning after his conquest of Egypt, he came
back “with great riches,” so valuable, it is claimed, that the value of
money dropped 50 percent while the price of products increased 100
percent.
Yet there was another, more significant “return” when Titus re­
turned “to his own land” covered with glory, having overthrown Ju­
dah and scattered the Jews everywhere. It certainly is true that his
heart was “against the holy covenant.”

J erusalem destroyed by R ome

The destruction of Jerusalem under orders from Vespasian was
the next great enterprise of Rome. Daniel’s people, the Jews, had been
given unusual liberty by Augustus. This was lost under Vespasian and
his son, Titus, however. Rome did as it pleased with the Jewish na­
tion. The Jewish war broke out in a .d . 66, and when it concluded four
years later, the magnificent temple was no more. Many items of sa­
cred furniture were taken to Rome as trophies of war.
The siege of Jerusalem by Titus was a tragic fulfillment of the
prophecy of Moses in Deuteronomy 28:52-55. The Roman general
swore “the extermination of the accursed city and people.” Jesus said,
"There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be
thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). Titus, however, was so charmed by
the grandeur of the temple that he gave orders to spare it. In the heat
of war, however, a soldier seized a brand and, climbing on the shoul­
ders of a comrade, thrust it into a window. Soon the temple, the pride
of the Jews, was ablaze. Realizing the tragedy, the Roman prince and
general of the army groaned, and “spreading his hands toward heaven,
called God to witness that this was not his doing” (Historian’s History
o f the World, vol. 2, page 196).
Titus rushed in personally and bore away the golden candlestick,
the table of showbread, and the volume of the law. The candlestick
was later deposited in Vespasian’s Temple of Peace in Rome. A copy
of this is still to be seen on the inside wall of the Arch of Titus, erected
to celebrate his victory over the Jews. How accurate was the prophecy,

147
“He shall do exploits, and return to his own land” (Daniel 11:28).
These exploits included the obliteration of the Jewish temple. To
show their anger “against the holy covenant” the Romans erected a
temple to Jupiter, “the father of the gods,” on the site of the Jewish
temple, sacred since Solomon’s great dedication a thousand years ear­
lier.
The destruction of Jerusalem affected tremendously not only the
Jews and Christians, but also the empire itself. Three centuries later,
Rome, “the eternal city,” was the object of barbarian invasions, which
continued intermittently until the imperial power of the empire ex­
pired in a .d . 476. Strange as it may seem, the Roman Senate at that
time sent the official emblems of government to the Eastern Empire
in Constantinople, saying they had no further use for them. Do we
see in this the beginning of the transition from the pagan Rome of the
Caesars to the papal Rome of the popes? Verse 30 says this power
would “forsake the holy covenant,” which the papacy surely did by
the introduction of such doctrines as transubstantiation and the sac­
rifice of the mass into the worship services of the church.
Important as these parts of this great prophecy are, that which
follows is even more vital.

148
 W hat tremendous vistas of history are packed into a few verses of
prophecy! We have already noticed the exactness of this long proph­
ecy of Daniel 11, and some important events in the experience of
Julius, Augustus, and Tiberius. It appears that Gabriel goes back into
Jewish history in order to outline the movements of Rome in general,
which so definitely influenced God’s people. In verse 23 reference is
made again to the “league” into which the Jews entered with the Ro­
mans in 161 b .c . That was an unfortunate step they took, because
Judea, a century later, became a mere province of Rome.
It is not unusual for Bible prophecy to double back and repeat
certain events, in order to unfold them more definitely. We find the
same events recorded in Daniel chapters 7, 8, and 9 and in several
places in Revelation. So, having brought the reader down to our
lo rd ’s death (see Daniel 11:22), the prophet then carries us back to
the time when Rome, then a “small people,” began to grow into an
empire. From this point the prophecy leads us in a direct line to events
that presage the final triumph of God’s people and the establishment
of the kingdom of glory.
N othing else is as im portant to Daniel’s people, or to any other
people, as the substitutionary death of the Messiah, “the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In order
to emphasize the importance o f the part Rome would play in these
wmrld-shaping events, the angel reaches back to the time when the
Romans entered into this league in response to a definite request
from the Jewish high priest, Judas, in 161 b . c . Having heard that
the Romans had conquered Galatia, Iberia, Carthage, and Libya,
and that three kings had been subdued— Perseus, Phillip, and
Antiochus the Great— the Jews felt they should enter into a “league
of friendship” with this rising power. The pact was made in the
name of the Roman Senate, says Josephus, and while it looked

149
attractive at first, it proved to be a tragic move for the Jews. (See
Antiquities, bk. XII, chap. X.)
Rome’s method of conquest, first promising peace then confiscat­
ing “the fattest places,” is brought to our notice in Daniel 11:24. Un­
der the pretense of offering protection, the Romans gradually moved
in to steal the liberties of the world. But as we noticed before, it was
“even for a time” (verse 24). Recognizing that a “time” in prophecy
equals a year of 360 days, it is interesting to note that from 31 b .c ., the
year in which Egypt capitulated to Rome, until Constantine moved
his seat of government from the city of Rome to Constantinople in
a . d . 330, is exactly 360 years.
Dramatic changes were taking place in the Roman Empire. A
truce between Constantine in the west and Lucinius in the east lasted
from a .d . 314 to 323, and then war broke out anew. Lucinius was
defeated in 324, and this left Constantine the head of the empire.
Byzantium was now in the hands of Constantine, who decided to
make this his capital. He practically rebuilt the city, beautifying it in
every way. He intended to call it New Rome, but he was urged to
insert his own name; so it became the metropolis of Constantine,
Constantinople.
Verse 29 says, “it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.”
Rome had conquered Egypt, “the former,” and Judea, “the latter.”
The setting up of this new seat of authority was unique and certainly
did not help to stabilize the empire, because on Constantine’s death
the empire was divided among his three sons— Constantine II, Con-
stantius, and Constans. In the ensuing two centuries this contributed
to the collapse of the five-hundred-year empire of Rome.

C onstantine accepts C hristianity

W ith the so-called conversion of Constantine, a new era began for
the church. The emperor bestowed favors on the bishops, for he was
eager to secure their power for the state. The church and the state
united, and paganism insinuated itself into the church. An observer
watching the worship service could scarcely realize it was a Christian
worship, for many forms of pagan ritual were carried out. Against this
apostasy, the Arian Goths rose up and invaded the city of Rome. Gibbon

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 Daniel Views fiise of Persecuting Fewer
says, “Their arms spread desolation or terror from the columns of
Hercules [the Straits of Gibraltar] to the south of the Nile.”
While Constantine professed to accept Christianity, apparently
he was never really a Christian at heart. While a member of the church,
nis attitude to the church seemed to be motivated solely by political
ambitions. It was a sad day for Christianity when the emperor became
the chairman of church councils as Constantine was at the Council
of Nicea. Though appearing under the cloak of friendship, his heart
was really “against the holy covenant” (verse 30).
“The ships of Chittim shall come against him” (verse 30). Chittim
“Kittim,” RSV) doubtless refers to the strong maritime power that
oegan to develop in N orth Africa. Genseric, the clever admiral of the
never-defeated navy of the Vandals, was for fifty years their hero. He
was the terror of Constantinople and Rome. Carthage became a
stronghold from whence he ventured forth with his ships to attack
what he said were “the dwellings of men with whom God was angry.”
Twice Genseric destroyed the Roman fleet, once in the harbor of
Cartagena, Spain, and another time off the coast of Carthage itself.
Rome was eventually taken and sacked in a .d . 455.
The breakup of the empire of the Caesars opened the way for the
establishment of the papacy, which did indeed “pollute the sanctuary
of strength” (verse 31). In other words, papal worship corrupted the
true understanding of Christ as our Intercessor in the heavenly sanctu­
ary. Many teachings such as the doctrine of transubstantiation under­
mined the doctrine of the finished sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Roman Catholicism claims that “Christ is offered every day on our
altars.
The prominent powers of Europe exchanged their paganism for
another type of paganism under the name of Christianity. As an ex­
ample, in 498 Symmachus, a recent convert from paganism, ascended
the papal throne. His advance to the pontifical chair was stained with
die murder of his opponent. Once on the seat of authority, his first
act was to excommunicate Emperor Anastasius. This was hailed by
die crowd as evidence that he was now judge in the place of God,
vicegerent of the Most High. This language is familiar to those who
have read papal decrees. In place of the continual ministry of Christ,

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a human priesthood was established, which claimed the power to for­
give sins and open the gates of heaven to the transgressor. This was
indeed “the abomination that maketh desolate” (verse 31).
“ ‘He will win over by plausible promises those who are ready to
condemn the covenant’ ” (verse 32, NEB). In a.d. 533 the Eastern
Emperor Justinian, eager to make war against the Vandals, sought for
the approval and cooperation of the Bishop of Rome. In that year he
wrote a letter, which later became official, to Epiphanius. In this letter
he called the Bishop of Rome “the Head of All the Holy Churches,”
and later, “the Corrector of Heretics.” The Arian Goths, having con­
quered Rome, were determined to rule. They were subdued, however,
by armies ordered by the pope in a.d. 538. This marks the date for the
beginning of the long prophetic period of 1,260 years— 538 to 1798—
which has been recognized by Bible scholars for almost 200 years.

Faithful C hristians and J ews

During those dark years the Jews were persecuted and driven into
ghettos, deprived of personal liberty and citizenship. Christians, too,
were persecuted. Thousands of them remained faithful to God and
His W ord and fled into places of seclusion. Many Jews also were faith­
ful to the teaching of their fathers.
The Waldenses trained their own ministers, who went out dis­
guised as carpenters, tinsmiths, and even surgeons. They carried por­
tions of the Bible all over Europe, sharing their faith with those who
would listen. They paved the way for such early Reformers as Wycliffe,
Huss, and Jerome. As the Scripture said, “The people that do know1
their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (verse 32).
“And they that understand among the people shall instruct many”
(verse 33). How true that was! The same verse also says, “Yet they shall
fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil.” These ter­
rible persecutions were instituted not by pagans, but by so-called
Christians— the apostate church under the leadership of prelates and
bishops.
The sixteenth-century Reformation followed the introduction of
printing into Europe, and the first book printed was the Bible in a.d.
1456.

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 In this great prophecy of Daniel 11 we see that mighty conflict
between good and evil, between the children of light and the powers
of darkness. In this we can see the brave deeds of the Waldenses in
maintaining the purity of the faith and in spreading the light of truth
over Europe amid the spiritual and moral darkness of their time. We
can recognize the courage of the Bohemians in maintaining their faith
in the face of huge German armies under papal influence. Here is
portrayed the endurance of the Lollards, and later the Lutherans, and
the martyrdom of the Huguenots of France. The marvelous story of
these and other exploits will never be fully told until that great day
when the faithful of all ages shall be gathered into the kingdom of our
Lord.
Now, “ ‘when they fall, they shall receive a little help’ ” (verse 34,
RSV). New legislation began to be passed in a number of countries,
which brought some respite. But some, like Tyndale, in order to com­
plete his work of translating the Bible, were compelled to flee to Hol-
.and. Persecuted peoples began to leave Europe for America, which
became a haven of refuge. But during those terrible years of persecu­
tion, the church was being purged and made white, “even to the time
of the end” (verse 35). This is the second mention in Scripture of the
time of the end. In Daniel 7:25 we notice that the apostate church
would hold the dominant position in Europe for 1,260 years. This
time period lasted from 538 to 1798. The Napoleonic wars brought
an end to papal dominance, for on February 11, 1798, Pope Pius VI
was taken prisoner by General Berthier of France. In that same year,
1798, the French Revolution came to an end. After two terrible years
of the “Reign of Terror,” during which time much blood was shed,
tremendous change came into the government of France. The Ameri­
can Revolution had occurred a few years before, and those two revolu­
tions sounded the death knell of “the divine right of kings.” The papal
power, which for more than a thousand years had been leading into
captivity, was now itself taken into captivity, fulfilling the prophecy of
Revelation 13:10.
In the previous chapter of Revelation, the same period of papal
persecution is brought to view, where the church, symbolized by a
woman, fled into the wilderness and was sustained by the Lord. In

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this very prophecy we notice that the earth helped the woman, open­
ing its mouth and swallowing up the flood which the dragon, or the
devil, cast after her. Led by Martin Luther, the Protestant Reforma­
tion inflicted wounds in this apostate system by “the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The Protestant
cause was espoused by some of the German states, which gave protec­
tion to the Reformers. The work of persecution was also restrained.
Queen Mary of England, “Bloody Mary,” was a mortal enemy of the
Protestant cause, and her relentless persecutions were responsible for
the death of many, including the Reformers burned at Smithfield.

A NEW ERA OF TOLERATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT

Certain decrees of toleration were passed in a few countries in
Europe prior to 1798. Yet is was not until the nineteenth centurv
dawned that multitudes began to enjoy toleration and even freedom
of religion. The Scriptures call this the “time of the end.” And it was
indeed the end of wholesale European persecutions and the beginning
of a more free society. During the later decades of the eighteenth cen­
tury, under the impact of the evangelical revival, a new world opened
up to hundreds of thousands. John Wesley and his brother Charles,
George Whitefield, John Fletcher, and others brought about prison
reform and education for children. Sunday Schools where children
could learn the truth of salvation were opened. This time also marked
the beginning of a world mission program, which aimed to carry the
gospel to every land of earth.
In 1793 William Carey, “pioneer of modern missions,” arrived
in India. A few years later, in 1804, the British and Foreign Bible
Society had its beginning. W ithin a few years Robert Moffatt went
to Africa, Robert Morrison to China, Adoniram Judson to Burma,
John Williams to Polynesia, Allan Gardiner to South America, and
David Livingstone to Africa. Thus began the great program of world
evangelism so well known today. The tremendous changes that took
place around the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of
the nineteenth century have played a great part not only in the
world’s culture but also in our understanding of the W ord of God.

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 The section of Daniel’s prophecy to which we now turn is the
most challenging portion of chapter 11. Many sincere interpreters
have attempted to resolve these verses, but each interpretation seems
defective. Take, for example, our futurist friends, among whom are
some of the most dedicated evangelical Christians. They put almost
everything into the future, looking for fulfillment after our Lord’s re­
turn, which they believe will be a secret and silent coming. They speak
of “the king [that] shall do according to his will” (verse 36) as “the
willful king,” whom they believe will appear as a Jew, but who in real­
ity will be “the very incarnation of Satan”— the terrible coming anti­
christ. They say he will make a covenant with the Jews, but will later
persecute them.
Others see in these verses the restored power, the antichrist of the
centuries, whose influence and machinations will assume worldwide
influence just before Christ’s second advent. They point to the simi­
larity of language in Paul’s description of the “man of sin” in 2 Thes-
salonians 2:2-5, and also in John’s prophecy of a worldwide apostate
power in Revelation 13:5—8. It seems clear that Daniel, Paul, and
John all described the same power. Therefore, they say, it must be the
papacy. Still others believe it refers to Russia, or maybe even to Islam.
Are all these wrong? O r could all be right in some degree?
We do well to observe that Daniel 11:36 introduces a powerful
personality who, at the time of the end, “shall do according to his
will.” Twice previously this prophecy tells of one who will do “ac­
cording to his will,” and each time it signals a dramatic change in the
international scene and introduces a new power. The first was the
ightning rise of the Grecian power under Alexander the Great. (See
Daniel 11:3.) The second was the coming of Rome to world rulership,
led by Julius Ceasar. (See verse 16.) Now we meet another who is to
do “according to his will.”

155
 W ho is this one? Some say it is the papacy. While having the
greatest respect for those who hold this interpretation, yet there are at
least four important questions we must face if we read the papacy into
these verses: (1) Was the papacy a new power at “the time of the end”?
(2) Was the papacy a godless power? (3) Was the papacy ever a mili­
tary power? (4) Was the papacy able “to do according to his will” at
the time of the end, 1798?
Concerning the first question, it is sufficient to say that the papacy
was already over a thousand years old at the time and had a long record
of persecution and intrigue. Moreover, the ruling pope, Pius VI, was
taken prisoner in 1798. He died in Valence, France, on August 29,
1799. N ot till March 14 of the following year was a new pope elected.
On the second question the prophecy says, “Neither shall he regard
the God of his fathers, . . . nor regard any god” (verse 37). Despite the
fact that the papacy corrupted the truth, it was not a godless power.
O n the third question, while we admit that certain popes were
very active militarily, yet the papacy was not primarily a military power
as the prophecy suggests. The Scripture says, “ ‘He shall honor the
god of fortresses . . . a god whom his fathers did not know’ ” (verse 38,
RSV). Such words could scarcely be applied to a church. But no words
could better describe the atheistic revolution in France during the lat­
ter part of the eighteenth century.
The fourth question almost answers itself, for the one power that
could not do “according to his will” at that time was the papacy. The
pope was incarcerated, the forces of atheism having curtailed his power.
Atheistic France confiscated the property of the church. The sacred
vessels of worship were often melted down for coins, while lead cof­
fins were turned into bullets.
The same atheistic principles that brought to fruition the godless-
revolution in France are today, however, being taught in schools and
colleges everywhere. Ellen White, commenting on conditions at the
end of the nineteenth century, listed several threats to stable govern­
ment: (1) centralization of wealth and power; (2) combinations for
increasing the wealth of the few; (3) combinations of the poor to de­
fend their interests; (4) “the spirit of unrest, or riot and bloodshed”;
(5) “the world-wide dissemination of the same teaching that led to the

156
French Revolution.” Then she said of these influences, “All are tend­
ing to involve the whole world in a struggle similar to that which con­
vulsed France. ” (Education, page 228, emphasis supplied.) Note that
this speaks of a coming worldwide revolution. At the time these words
were written there was little evidence of any such power arising. But a
decade and a half later Russia was plunged into her revolution. Since
then, the principles of the French Revolution have spread to every
land of earth. Rather than think of Daniel 11:36-45 as dealing with
just the work of the papacy, would it not be wiser to make a wider
application? The new world power predicted here and which will fi­
nally come to its end will doubtless include the papacy as it will every
other apostate and false system of religion. The prophecy also indi­
cates it will be more than just a religious power; it will have to do
with commerce and industry as well as with false philosophy. Revela­
tion 18, which is an enlargement of Daniel 11:45, portrays the final
collapse of all human government arraigned against God.
N ot only is a new and dominant leader introduced in Daniel
11:36, but the prophecy forecasts a new and revolutionary type of
government. While the French Revolution with all its horror was
confined to one nation, it could well be a miniature illustration of the
world’s final challenge to the living God. That France, the richest,
most cultured, and most densely populated country in Europe at that
time, could ever become the scene of such brutal disorder and ven­
geance as stained her record under the later Louis kings seemed im-
Dossible. But the unbelievable happened.
The French Revolution, however, was but the culmination of two
centuries of suppression of the Scriptures, carried out under the guise
of religion. Most frightful, heart-rending slaughters had been perpe­
trated, such as the St. Bartholomew Massacre in 1572, which was
refinitely the work of priests and prelates. Commenting on this, Henry
White says: “W hen the news of the massacre reached Rome, the
exultation among the clergy knew no bounds. . . . A medal was
m uck to commemorate the massacre and in the Vatican may still be
seen three frescoes of Tasari, describing the attack” {The Massacre o f
St. Bartholomew, ch. 14, par. 34, quoted in Ellen W hite, The Great
Controversy, page 273). Ultimately many voices demanded that in the

157
name of reason, religion be abolished. “God does not exist!” thev
shouted, and the nation through its legislators turned atheistic.
If anyone wonders whether God would bother to mention France
in prophecy, the evidence is clear, for the greater part of Revelation 11
deals with the rise of atheism and the French Revolution. “In many of
the nations of Europe the powers that ruled in church and state had
for centuries been controlled by Satan through the medium of the
papacy. But here is brought to view a new manifestation of satanic
power” ( The Great Controversy, pages 268, 269). And “this prophecy
has received a most exact and striking fulfillment in the history of
France” (ibid., page 269).
Daniel’s prophecy describing the new power that was to arise and
do its work in “the time of the end” declares that he would not “re­
gard the God of his fathers,” but would “honour the god of forces [or
fortresses, or munitions]” (Daniel 11:37, 38). In other words, mili­
tary power would predominate. Then we should look for some pow­
erful personality, a military genius, who at the “time of the end” would
assume authority. Naturally, many see this fulfilled in that military
genius Napoleon Bonaparte. N ot only did he try to reshape Europe.
but he was determined to weld the nations into a single empire. It is
said that the word conscription was first applied to the armed forces In
September 1798, making men legally liable for service. This made
possible a new system of war.
Napoleon was also responsible for many social and economic
changes. And historians agree that modern history begins with Napoleon.
His rise marked two great revolutions— one in America and the other
in France.
The French Revolution had sought to abolish religion, especially
the Christian religion, and the Bible. Fouche declared from the pulpit
of the cathedral at Vevers that the worship of Reason “should in fu­
ture be the national religion” (Louis Madelin, The French Revolution,
page 388). Here surely was “a god whom his fathers did not know.”
During the Revolution, in 1783, “the world for the first time
heard an assembly of men, born and educated in civilization, and as­
suming the right to govern one of the finest of the European nations,
uplift their united voice to deny the most solemn truth which man’s

158
soul receives, and renounce unanimously the belief and worship of a
deity” (Sir Walter Scott, The Life o f Napoleon, vol. 1, ch. 17, quoted
in Madelin, The French Revolution, pages 269, 270). “France stands
mart in the world’s history as the single state which by the decree of
nex Legislative Assembly pronounced that there was no God. . . .
Women as well as men danced and sang with joy in accepting the an­
nouncement” {Blackwood’s Magazine, November, 1870).
N ot only did France try to destroy the worship of God among her
citizens, she also made divorce easier. One phrase in this prophecy
could well relate to that: “Neither shall he regard . . . the desire of
Tomen” (verse 37), which theologian Thomas Newton declared could
more properly be rendered: “the desire of wives.” Other translations
read: “nor care for the delight of women,” Fenton; “ ‘the one whom
women love,’ ” (Jerusalem Bible); “ ‘the god beloved of women,’
NEB). Many interpreters emphasize that the phrase relates to the
ksve of women, particularly conjugal love. In any case, divorce was
established in Paris by decree on September 20, 1792, and carried still
rurther by the Convention in 1794. Soon, according to Madelin,
“women passed from hand to hand by a legal process” with the tragic
result of a very steep rise in illegitimacy.

C hristianity attacked by atheism

While homes were breaking up, churches were being desecrated.
Church bells were melted and cast into cannon. Bibles were publicly
earned, and the weekly day of worship was set aside. The Assembly by
decree transformed even the famous Notre Dame Cathedral into the
Temple o f Reason. During the Reign of Terror, which lasted from
!~92 until 1794, the Revolution reached its height, and both the
church and the government were overthrown. The king and queen
red many of the nobility of France were decapitated. An estimated
rourteen thousand people were guillotined.
“Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god . . .
m d [he] shall divide the land for gain” (verse 39, emphasis supplied).
Previous to the Revolution, the Roman Catholic Church and a few
landlords owned two-thirds of the land of France. The landed estates
were confiscated and sold at auction in small parcels; the sales

159
provided much needed funds for the newly appointed government.
“W hen the restraints of God’s law were cast aside, it was found
that the laws of man were inadequate to hold in check the powerful
tides of human passion. . . . Violence and lust held undisputed sway.

“The cities of the kingdom were filled with scenes of horror. . . .

And to add to the general misery, the nation became involved in a
prolonged and devastating war with the great powers of Europe” (The
Great Controversy, pages 282, 283).
The effort to capture the minds of men began in dead earnest
about two hundred years ago with the new religion, so-called, of
Rousseauism. Eugene Methvin, in his penetrating analysis The Rise o f
Radicalism, speaks of a quasi-Masonic secret order know as the Illu­
minati, “founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, a professor from In-
galstadt and a renegade Jesuit. Weishaupt heartily hated the Jesuits
and aimed to replace Christianity with a secular religion of reason’
(page 121). Among the outstanding French leaders was Philippe
Buonannoti, who “hailed the French Revolution as the dawning of
heaven on earth.” It proved to be anything but that, but the ideas
inculcated at that time by these radical thinkers is the philosophy
behind much of today’s world unrest.
“The atheistical power that ruled in France under the Revolution
and the Reign of Terror, did wage such a war against God and His
holy word as the world had never witnessed. The worship of the deirr
was abolished by the National Assembly. Bibles were collected and
publicly burned with every possible manifestation of scorn. The law
of God was trampled underfoot. The institutions of the Bible were
abolished. The weekly rest day was set aside, and in its stead even-
tenth day was devoted to reveling and blasphemy” ( The Great Contro­
versy, pages 273, 274).

S ix- pointed philosophy disrupts F rance

The corruptive philosophy of Weishaupt and others had done its
work in the nation, and the Revolution was the baleful fruit. The
atheistic order aimed at nothing less than total world revolution and
ultimately a single world government.

160
 Nesta Webster, a British writer, sums up the teachings of the II-
aiminati in these six important points:
1. abolition of all ordered government
2. abolition of all monarchy
3. abolition of all private property and inheritance
4 . abolition of all patriotism

5. abolition of the family (Marriage was regarded as outdated,

and children became the responsibility of the state.)
6. abolition of all religion
Weishaupt adopted the name Spartacus, leader of an insurrection
of slaves in ancient Rome. John Robison, in his book Proofs o f a Con-
~:racy Against the Religions and Governments o f Europe, published in
I —98, declared that Weishaupt’s real intention was to “abolish all re-
isjons, overthrow every government, and make the world a general
plunder and wreck.” Patriotism and loyalty were regarded as narrow-
rdnded prejudices. These revolutionary ideas brought on the Reign of
Terror, and “they have helped to light the fires of every revolution in
r:e two hundred years since they were published [on May 1, 1776]”
Edward Hodnett, The Cultivated Mind, page 27).
The French Revolution was short lived. The seeds of anarchy,
however, spread, ultimately finding fertile soil in Russia, where they
developed slowly. A century later, in 1917, at the height of W orld
War I, Russia was plunged into the Bolshevik Revolution, which em-
r raced many of the principles of the French Revolution and resulted
in an atheistic socialism that brought misery to its people and fear to
~ e world for decades. Flow true is the statement in the book Educa-
—tm to which we referred earlier that “anarchy is seeking to sweep
sway all law, not only divine, but human.” And this, we repeat, in
combination with unsettling world conditions, is “tending to involve
~ e whole world in a struggle similar to that which convulsed France”
cage 228). The same writer says, “The enmity of Satan against good
^ill be manifested more and more as he brings his forces into activity
jo his last work of rebellion; and every soul that is not fully surren­
dered to God, and kept by divine power, will form an alliance with
datan against heaven, and join in battle against the Ruler of the uni­
verse” (Testimonies to Ministers, page 465).

5—U. D. R. 161
 At the dawning of the “time of the end,” as we have seen, major
political changes occurred: the imprisonment of the pope; the French
Revolution; the appearance of a new and dom inant personality—
Napoleon, who said, “There will be no repose in Europe until it is
under one head. . . . In five years I shall be master of the world.” De­
scribing Napoleon, Madame de Stael wrote, “This man really does
possess the will to shift the world.”
Verse 40 declares, “At the time of the end [1798] shall the king of
the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against
him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with
many ships.” The king of the north and the king of the south have not
been mentioned since verse 16, when we were viewing events occur­
ring about 200 b . c ., some two thousand years earlier.
The king of the south at that time was Egypt, and still is. While
Rome ruled Egypt for a short time, that king was still Egypt. N ot so
with the king of the north. That territory changed hands several times.
It was originally the Syrian power. But at “the time of the end” it was
under Turkish rule. We might ask, Was there conflict between Egypt
and France and between Turkey and France at “the time of the end,”
in 1798? There certainly was. A state of open hostility developed between
France and Egypt. Napoleon was planning to invade Egypt at that time,
but he declared he was coming only to chastise the Mamelukes for their
robbing of certain French merchants. The Mamelukes were the
governing class, and Napoleon sought to drive a wedge between them
and the populace. Furthermore, he cherished hopes of subduing not
only Egypt, but Syria, Persia, and India, even as far as the Ganges.
These plans he placed before the Directory, and secured their author­
ity for his campaign against Egypt.
Fie set sail from Toulon on May 19, 1798, with 27 large ships,
many smaller vessels of war, and 300 transports. Counting the troops
and the ships’ crews, probably fifty thousand men were involved. On
July 2 he took Alexandria. O n the twenty-first he fought the Battle of
the Pyramids. O n July 25 he entered Cairo, the capital. Egypt, able to
offer only weak resistance, suffered heavy losses of men and equip­
ment. The words of the prophecy are significant: “The king of the
south” shall “push at him ”— a feeble resistance. But by contrast, “The

162
■rng of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with char­
iots, and with horsemen, and with many ships” (verse 40). While this
nay have some future significance, it certainly had its fulfillment at
me “time of the end,” for on September 11, 1798, the Sultan of T ur­
key declared war on France. Thus the king of the south, Egypt, and
me king of the north, which at that time was Turkey, both attacked
rrance at the same time.

Napoleon ’s first retreat

Napoleon had crushed the armies of Egypt, and he attempted the
sm e thing with the Turks in Syria. A strong body of Turks, however,
la d entrenched themselves at Jean d’Acre, and thousands of Muslims
Ibd gathered on the hills of Samaria. Just at that time Sir Sydney
Smith arrived at Saint Jean d’Acre with a small fleet of English ships,
mis men, aided by Turkey, captured Napoleon’s siege equipment.
The siege lasted some weeks, but Napoleon, seeing the situation
tfss hopeless, sounded a call for retreat. O n May 21, 1799, he began
3©retrace his steps toward the territory of the king of the south. But,
as the prophecy declared, he was not through. This military genius
la d one ambition, to unite the world and make himself its supreme
m er.
The his torian Guizot says of Napoleon, “In his secret thoughts,
powerful and chimerical, he nursed the hope of pushing forward to
Constantinople, seizing the city, and making himself master of Eu-
wpe by attacking it from the eastern side. It was to the conquest o f the
avrld that he marched in advancing against Jaffa” {Nations o f the
Wsrld, “France,” vol. 6, page 388, emphasis supplied).
Thiers, another French historian, says, “To penetrate into those
sen tries of light and glory, where Alexander and Mahomet had con-
toered and founded empires, to make them ring with his name, and
as nave it sent back to France repeated by echoes of Asia, was for him
i most ravishing prospect” (The History o f the French Revolution, page
*0 9 ). '
It is unfortunate that in recent times there is a tendency on the
ram of some to minimize the importance of this period, especially
Napoleon’s campaigns. But the Napoleonic wars and the French

163
Revolution mark one of the great turning points of history. These
events presaged a new era not only for Europe, but for the world.
W hen the armies of France, led by Napoleon, were defeated.
Palestine once again became a small part of the sprawling Ottoman
Empire and remained so for the next hundred years until General
Allenby, in 1918, won his decisive victory on the age-old Palestinian
battlefield of Megiddo. That hastened the end not only of W orld War
I, but also of the Ottoman Empire. For his outstanding military lead­
ership Allenby was given the title Earl of Meggido.
Since then the political face of the Middle East has changed tre­
mendously. Europe, too, has undergone drastic changes. Between
1914 and 1918 four great empires collapsed— the Russian Empire
under the czars; the German Empire under the kaisers; the Austrian
Empire under the Hapsburgs; and the Ottoman Empire, under the
sultans. Yes, we live today in a different world from that in which our
grandfathers lived. But these changes were all foreseen by the prophe:
Daniel, who set forth clearly the conditions marking “the time of the
end,” one of the most imposing being the movement toward world
government.
In identifying the power spoken of in the last verses of Daniel 11
it would appear wise for us to look for a larger power than the papace.
Here are twenty-one points of identity listed in the prophecy, not
more than half of which could possibly relate to the papacy, but every
one of which either has been, or could well be, fulfilled by a world­
wide atheistic government:
1. This power manifests itself “at the time of the end,” 1798.
2. It shall exalt “and magnify himself above every god.”
3. It shall “prosper till the indignation be accomplished.”
4. It shall “speak marvelous things against the God of gods.”
5. It shall not “regard the God of his fathers.”
6. It shall not regard “the desire of women.”
7. It shall not “regard any god.”
8. It shall “magnify himself above all.”
9. It shall “honour the God of forces” (“munitions,” margin).
10. It shall “honour with gold, and silver, and with precious
stones.”

164
11. It shall “cause them to rule over many.”
12. It shall “divide the land for gain.”
13. It shall “enter also into the glorious land.”
14. The king of the south shall “push at him,” and the king of
the north shall “come against him.”
15. It shall “stretch forth his hand also upon the countries.”
16. It shall have power over the treasures of Egypt.
1L The “Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.”
18. “Tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble
him.”
19. “He shall go forth with great fury to destroy.”
20. “He shall plant the tabernacles of his palace” in Jerusalem.
21. “He shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”
Some interpreters apply these verses to antichrist, which they
le d a re will appear after our Lord’s return, that is, after the great
resurrection. But Daniel 12 makes it clear that the willful king, or
me antichrist, makes his attack on God’s people prior to the standing
up of Michael and the ushering in of the time of trouble, before our
Lord’s return. Just before that grand event Satan will make a desper-
ire effort to delude the world. He will come “with all power and signs
m d lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). “The last great delusion is
>oon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works
m our sight” ( The Great Controversy, page 593). A world church in
collaboration with a world government could easily pave the way for
mis display of Satan’s power.

T he rise and spread of a world atheistic revolution

If such a union were to materialize, while it would include the
capacy, yet it would be far more than a papal program; it would be
man’s final challenge to the living God. The history of God’s faithful
men in ancient Babylon might well be a miniature of God’s ultimate
victory over the world or modern Babylon. In Daniel, chapter 1, we
see God’s men standing firm in matters of diet. In Daniel 2 we see
God’s ability to foretell the future, triumphing over the knowledge of
Babylon. In chapter 3 the worship of God proved victorious over the
worship demanded by the king of Babylon. In chapter 4, as the king

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was sent out to eat grass, we see the rulership of God triumphing over
the rulership of Babylon. In chapter 5, God rebukes Babylon’s blas­
phemy, and the Persian conquerors take the city. In chapter 6 we see
God triumphing over Daniel’s persecutors.
Revelation 18 pictures the final collapse of all false religions, all
worldly business and commerce, all shipping and finance under the
judgments of God. Even “souls of men” (verse 13) are included in the
list that makes up Babylon— the power that “reigneth over the kings
of the earth” (Revelation 17:18). Chapters 17 and 18 of Revelation
have a significant tie-in with Isaiah 2 and Micah 4, where a great
peace movement is depicted, which ends in destruction when the
Lord God “ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:19). It is im­
portant to note here the words in verse 3: “Come ye, and let us go up
to the mountain of the L o rd . . . for out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the L ord from Jerusalem.” While the idea is
laudable, these are not the words of God, but the words of “many
people.” (Micah 4:2 says, “many nations.”) Isaiah continues, “Thou
hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replen­
ished from the east, and are soothsayers [spiritualists]. . . . Their land
is also full of horses . . [and] chariots [military equipment] ” (verses 6,
7). “Their land is also full of idols; . . . therefore forgive them not"
(verses 8, 9). God says, “Enter into the rock . . . for fear of the L o r d ,
and for the glory of his majesty” (verse 10). Human plans for world
peace and world religion will come to naught, for “the L ord alone
shall be exalted in that day” (verse 17). The apostle Paul says, “When
they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon
them, . . . and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
We cannot be dogmatic on certain details of these prophecies, for
we are dealing with unfulfilled prophecy, and only after events tran­
spire can we be certain. But the world seems to be shaping up for the
final display of anti-God power. Jesus said, “I have told you before it
come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe” (John
14:29). Prophecy is given not to make us expert prognosticators, but
rather, intelligent interpreters when the events occur.
The angel Gabriel, however, made it clear to Daniel that the power
that comes to his end will be a power that has worldwide influence.

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 f t Atheistic Revolution
And his collapse will be the signal for our Lord’s return. So we need
to be alert and watching. The things we witness today throughout the
world are surely the final movements of “the time of the end.” We can
know that the Lord is at hand. Jesus said, “Be ye also ready: for in
such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew
24:44).
For decades, even centuries, men have envisioned a peaceful, united
world. Any superman who could ensure the world of real and lasting
reace would be hailed as the greatest deliverer of all time. Many Bible
students predict the rise of such a world leader. They speak of him as
the coming antichrist; they declare that he will accomplish many un­
believable things, as the Scripture declares, even calling down fire
to m heaven as did Elijah in the days of King Ahab. That such a per­
sonality will appear the Scriptures make abundantly clear. While he
will appear as a man, he will be more than a man. He will be none
other than Satan himself impersonating Christ. Stepping onto the
world stage, he will deceive men and nations. In Revelation 16:14 we
read that demon spirits will “go forth unto the kings of the earth and
of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of
God Almighty.” To some extent this is happening now. Occultism in
ill its varied forms was never so popular as it is today. The Scripture
says, “He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue Armageddon” (verse 16).
Daniel also speaks of the rise of such a power, declaring that he
'shall plant the tabernacles of his palace [“ ‘his royal pavilion,’
XEB] between the seas in the glorious holy mountain” (Daniel 11:45).
But will his reign endure? O n this Scripture is very definite. The angel
said, “Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And at
mat time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for
the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such
as never was since there was a nation even to that same time” (verse
45; 12:1).

G o d ’s people delivered
T ie “time of trouble” spoken of here will be short, but it will be a
period of frightful distress— a different kind of trouble from anything

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ever before recorded. Hie medieval centuries, sometimes referred to as
the Dark Ages, were tragic times for both Jews and Christians, but
the coming time of trouble, which just precedes our Savior’s return in
glory, will exceed anything in history. Having finished His work of
intercession, our great High Priest lays aside His mediatorial robes
and clothes Himself in the garments of a conquering king. His de­
stroying angels then pour out their bowls of wrath— the seven last
plagues— upon the despisers of His grace. It will be a tragic time of
judgment, but God’s people will be protected in those awful days.
“He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways”
(Psalm 91:11). “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague
come nigh thy dwelling” (verse 10).
Many prophets have spoken of this coming time of turmoil. Jer­
emiah worried, “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is
even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer­
emiah 30:7). Those last words are surely encouraging— “he shall be
saved out of it.” Daniel says, “At that time thy people shall be deliv­
ered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1).
They are delivered, not because they belong to a certain group, but
because their names are written in the book.
Gabriel came to tell Daniel what would happen to his people in
the latter days. (See Daniel 10:14.) Daniel’s people, of course, were
the Jews, and vital things were to happen to Israel in the latter days.
Some of these are happening right now. But the greatest thing that
could happen to this once-scattered nation would be for the scales to
fall from their eyes, and they, with clear spiritual insight, would turn
to Jehovah in repentance, accepting “the great prince,” Jesus of Naz­
areth, as their Messiah and prepare to meet H im when He returns
in glory. The Scriptures do not indicate that the nation as a whole
will do this, yet some of the greatest of the Hebrew prophets envi­
sioned a tremendous turning back to God on the part of Daniel’s
“people,” the Jews, just before the Savior appears. And among the
multitudes who will accept salvation are more than natural bom
Jews, because all who turn to God in repentance and accept the
grace of God become the children o f God, whatever their racial
background. “For,” says the apostle Paul, “ye are all the children of

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God by faith in Christ Jesus. . . . And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26,
29).
A hundred years before Daniel was born, Isaiah wrote about “the
sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the L o r d , to serve him,
and to love the name of the L o r d , to be his servants” (Isaiah 56:6).
'Even unto them will I give . . . a name better than of sons and of
daughters” (verse 5). “For mine house shall be called an house of
prayer for all people” (verse 7). Paul speaks of “Israel after the flesh”
(1 Corinthians 10:18). These are the natural sons of Abraham. But
the apostle also speaks of the church made up of all nations as “the
Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). So, as already noted, Daniel’s people
include more than natural born Jews, for all who love the Lord and
through faith accept salvation become “Abraham’s seed, and heirs ac­
cording to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
W hether people are born Jews or members of another race, all are
saved in exactly the same way. Through faith we all become part of
spiritual Israel. Are you ready, dear friend, for that moment when
“Michael [shall] stand up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people” (Daniel 12:1)? If you have not made that sur­
render, why not give your heart to Him now? Do not delay. He waits
your decision. At this very moment you can pass from death to life.
Accept Him as your Savior now, and be prepared for the “time of
trouble” so soon to burst upon the world. Then it will be too late to
make that surrender. “(Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the
day of salvation)” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
W hen you make that choice, your name is written in the book of
life, and if you are faithful, you will be protected during the awful
days ahead. Soon our Lord will appear with all His holy angels, and
together we will be caught up with all God’s saints of all the ages to
live with Him forever. May the Holy Spirit lead us all to make that
decision now for His name’s sake.

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 s Earth Headed for World Government?
The end of the eighteenth century saw both the end and the be­
ginning of many things. N ot only did 1798 mark the end of the 1,260
years of papal dominance, as predicted in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7; it was
also the portent of the industrial revolution and the scientific age, to
which we shall refer more definitely in the next chapter.
It is difficult for us to picture the world as it was at the close of the
eighteenth century. In 1797 the first cast iron plow was patented.
Mechanized farming began to receive great impetus. N ot only have
our methods of work changed, but also our methods of war have
changed unbelievably. To illustrate this, one need only recall that the
nuclear age, marked by the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan at the
close of W orld W ar II, took place less than seventy-five years ago.
Now picture the nuclear weapons available to many nations today,
with their capacity to destroy the world many times over. If we had
nothing else to consider, the weapons of mass destruction that exist
today would be enough to tell us that we have indeed reached the
time of the end.
Gabriel’s message to Daniel was given in order that God’s people,
godly Jews and Gentiles alike, might prepare themselves to stand in
the day of final destruction. And among the messages of the angel
none is more vital than the one found in Daniel 11:36 to the end of
chapter 12. The angel spoke of a power that would arise in “the time
of the end” (Daniel 11:40) which would wage an intensive war, not
merely for the bodies of men, as in the days of slavery and labor camps,
but for the minds of men; its weapons not military hardware but chal­
lenging ideas. The most bitter conflict is where human beings are
hungry, longing for food and freedom, for education and the com­
forts of life. It is an ideological warfare waged in the name of human­
ity. Science and education are the watchwords of this new era. The
fundamental conflict is not political but religious.

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T he anti -G o d war of today
The technological world in which we live today has resulted in
increasing efforts to push aside the W ord of God as irrelevant and
lacking credibility. The scriptural account of Creation is largely set
aside, and the pseudo-scientific belief that human beings evolved from
earlier forms of life is accepted as more reasonable. While evolution as
we know it today is of fairly recent origin, it has its roots far back in
history. The story o f human beginnings has been a definite part of
every ancient religion. But in the eighteenth century men of science
probed deeper into both geology and biology, seeking a natural expla­
nation of origins. Eventually they created a “ladder of life” with pro­
gressive stages stretching over millions of years. The more complex
animals, including human beings, naturally belonged to the last stage.
The Bible story of Creation was rejected and ridiculed, and in its place
the Goddess of Reason was tacitly accepted.
“The time of the end” was marked, therefore, not only by the rise
of military might and incredible technological advancement but also
by sweeping changes in philosophy, science, and religion. Rational­
ism, claiming reason as a superior source of knowledge, laid aside
what men called the “musty records of the past” as they sought for a
new understanding of earth’s origin. This resulted in the loss of faith.
How relevant is our Tord’s rhetorical question, “W hen the Son of
man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
While atheism and infidelity have existed in the minds of certain
philosophers throughout history, these philosophies are today being
taught in the classrooms of high schools and colleges all over the
world. In thousands of books and magazines, and by television pro­
grams, the theory of humanity’s evolution, as opposed to the Bible
account of Creation, is being presented as if it were a proved fact.

C oming world government

In addition to the challenges presented to Bible truth by evolution
and rationalism, the prophecy points to a religious-political power
that will assume an increasingly greater role in world affairs as the
world draws ever nearer to the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to Bible prophecy, when the papacy has fully recovered

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from the “deadly wound” (Revelation 13:3) inflicted by the state in
1798, she will play a vital role in the closing scenes of earth’s history.
N or will she be alone, for John in the symbolic prophecy of Revela­
tion 17 pictures a woman riding a scarlet-colored beast, and in her
person she bears the “names of blasphemy” (Revelation 17:3). This
symbolism is well understood by Bible students, for in prophecy a
woman represents a church, and a beast symbolizes a political power.
So in this prophetic picture we see a great political power being guided
by a corrupt church. And in verse 14 we read, “These shall make war
with the Lamb [Christ], and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is
the Lord of lords, and the King of kings: and they that are with him
are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
The next chapter of John’s book unfolds the final collapse of a
great religio-political colossus. (See Revelation 18:8-24.) These verses
seem to be an enlargement on Daniel 11:45. How the books of Dan­
iel and Revelation complement each other!
While dealing with unfulfilled prophecy we must be cautious. Yet
it appears that politics, economics, and religion will ultimately com­
bine to bring about the long-envisioned “world government.” Doubt­
less many and varied influences will play a part in bringing such a
program to fruition. Those leading the way to the long-dreamed-of
world government have the apparent objective of international
peace— a truly laudable aim. But the apostle says that at the very time
when the world will be proclaiming “peace and safety,” then “sudden
destruction cometh upon them, . . . and they shall not escape”
(1 Thessalonians 5:3). It is not that God does not desire peace among
the nations, but until men’s hearts are changed, there can be no last­
ing peace.

T he coming of the indispensable M an

W orld government is not the answer to the world’s dilemma. In­
creased military might is not the solution. Technology and human
ingenuity is insufficient to meet our need, whether it be an energy
crisis, a political crisis, a financial crisis, or a religious crisis. Only the
coming of the Son of Man, the indispensable Man, the God-Man,
can bring the peace for which all men and women hope and pray.

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 “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which
standeth for the children of thy people” (Daniel 12:1). These opening
words of Daniel’s last chapter are deeply significant. The previous
nine verses picture events leading to the creation of a great world gov­
ernment. This masterful attempt of man to govern himself will be his
final challenge to the living God.
In Revelation 16:13, 14 the prophet John speaks of the spirits of
demons coming from three great sources— the dragon, the beast, and
the false prophet. And the prophecy declares that these powers will
gather the whole world “to the battle of that great day of God Al­
mighty.” The Scripture further states that they will be gathered to­
gether “into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (verse
16). W hen that happens, a mighty voice is heard from heaven an­
nouncing, “It is done!” O r “It is over!”
All is finished. Then the greatest demonstration of organization
and power the world has ever known will collapse. For at that time
God Himself will step in and take over the rulership of this runaway
world. The prophecy declares, “He shall come to his end, and none
shall help him ” (Daniel 11:45). It is then that Michael stands up, “the
great prince . . . and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
since there was a nation” (Daniel 12:1).

W ho is M ichael, the great P rince?

W hat does the standing up of Michael mean? Is this some interven­
tion of one of heaven’s highest angels on behalf of the Palestinian Jews?
No! It is something far greater. Michael is not just one of heaven’s high­
est angels; He is the Archangel whose mighty voice will call the dead to
life again. In Jude 9 we read of Michael coming to raise the body of
Moses, at which time the devil disputed His authority. But the Arch­
angel Michael issued the divine command, “The Lord rebuke thee”!

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Note three important words in this brief account: “Michael,” “Lord,”
and “archangel.” He who rebuked the devil and raised Moses from the
dead is the One who will yet call to life and immortality all who have
died in the blessed hope of the resurrection. Talking to Martha, Jesus
said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). And at another time, “The
hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth” (John 5:28, 29).
The voice of the Archangel is the voice of the Life-Giver. His au­
thoritative command will sound through all the world: “Awake and sing,
ye that dwell in dust”; then “the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isaiah
26:19). At that time all who have died believing God’s Word will toss
aside their coverlet of dust and spring forth joyfully into eternal life.
The name Michael means “who is like God?” He is like God be­
cause He is God— One with the Father from all eternity. More than
twenty times in the New Testament we read such statements as
“Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” or “sat down on the right
hand of God” (Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12). At the throne ofgrace
Christ has been officiating as our High Priest, our Intercessor, but
someday soon His ministry of intercession will cease. No longer will
He occupy the throne of grace, for mercy’s door will have closed for­
ever. It is then that He stands up to receive the kingdom and prepares
to return to earth for His people.

T he glorious return of C hrist

W hat wonderful pictures the prophets have given us of our Lord’s
return! W hen He comes, it will be in His own glory and in the glorv
of the Father and in the glory of the holy angels. Note these verses of
Scripture: Luke 9:26; Matthew 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Rev­
elation 1:7.
“At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be
found written in the book,” said the angel (Daniel 12:1). They will be
delivered not because they are Jews or Christians, not because they
belong to a certain group or denomination, but because their names
are written in the book— the book of life. It will be worth everything
in that day to have our names in that book.

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 Rigliteous Shine as the Stars Forever
During that awful time of trouble there will be a partial resurrec­
tion. “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”
(Daniel 12:2). The resurrection spoken of here is not the general res­
urrection at the time our Lord is seen coming in the clouds of heaven,
for then the righteous only are raised. Says the Scripture, “Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the
second death hath no power” (Revelation 20:6). “But the rest of the
dead [the wicked dead] lived not again until the thousand years were
finished” (verse 5). A short time before our Lord appears, there will
be a special resurrection. This is emphasized in Revelation 1:7: “Be­
hold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,” says John’s
prophecy, “and they also which pierced him .” In Matthew’s Gospel
we read of a special resurrection when our Lord rose from the dead.
(See Matthew 27:52.) So again there will be another special resurrec­
tion associated with His second advent. At that time those most
prominent in their demand that Christ be crucified— those who gave
sentence against Him in the judgment hall, crying, “Crucify H im ,”
those who drove the nails through His hands and feet— will come
forth from their graves to see Him coming in power and great glory.
When our Lord was arraigned before the Jewish court on trial for His
life, the high priest demanded that Jesus tell him whether He was truly
the Christ, the Son of God. W ith calm assurance the Savior answered,
“Yes, I am,” or “It is as you say,” but He quickly added, “Nevertheless I
say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right
hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64).
According to the words of Christ Himself, those who pierced Him,
those who mocked and derided Him in His dying agonies, will be raised
to witness the coming King of kings and Lord of lords returning in all
His glory. And not only many wicked, but also many righteous will be
raised, for the Scripture says, “some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). Could there be any­
thing more thrilling for those who have faithfully proclaimed God’s last
great message to the world than to come forth from their dusty beds to
witness their Savior returning as conquering King accompanied by all
the holy angels? Ellen G. White speaks of those who have died in the

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faith of the third angel’s message as coming forth “to hear God’s cov­
enant of peace” {The Great Controversy, page 637).

As THE STARS FOREVER

The promise in the next verse has a special meaning for us today.
“And they that be wise [margin: teachers] shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars
for ever and ever” (verse 3). The stars have always attracted thoughtful
minds, but in recent years we have learned much about these heavenly
bodies. Kingdoms may rise and fall, empires go down to dust, but the
stars in their stately orbits shine on from century to century. Some are
so far away that it has taken a hundred million years for their light to
reach us. The wise, said the angel— teachers of God’s message of right­
eousness— will shine as those radiant orbs for all eternity.
Are you planning to be among them, dear friend? You can be, if
you accept God’s gift of righteousness. “Messiah the Prince” is still
our ministering Intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary. Through His
abundant grace all may become members of His family, and the
promise is that we shall shine “as the stars for ever and ever.”
Having finished his great prophecy, Gabriel now tells Daniel to “shut
up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end” (verse 4),
implying that many things the prophet did not understand would at that
time be understood. Then Daniel overheard one asking the question,
“How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And the answer came
from the one clothed in linen, “It shall be for a time, times, and an half’
(verses 6, 7). That, of course, is the same period mentioned in chapter 7,
verse 25— the 1,260 prophetic days, or years, which began in a .d . 538
and ended in 1798. At that time many things not understandable in
Daniel’s day— nor could they be until the expiration of that period—
would come into sharp focus. Even though the prophet himself said, “I
heard, but I understood not” (verse 8), yet we who live in the time of the
end can understand. How privileged we are!

W hat are we seeing today ?

Jesus said, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears,
for they hear. For verily I say unto you, T hat many prophets and

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righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have
not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not
heard them” (Matthew 13:16, 17). “Blessed are your eyes, for they
see!” If Christ were speaking in person to us now, He would be able
to say the same thing: “Blessed are your eyes . . . and your ears.”
This striking stanza from Bishop Arthur Coxe’s “Hymn for the
Times” (1842) might well have been penned this very decade:

We are living, we are dwelling

In a grand and awful time,
In an age on ages, telling—
To be living is sublime.
Hark! the waking up of nations,
Gog and Magog to the fray;
Hark! what soundeth? Is creation
Groaning for her latter day?

As the angel closed his message to Daniel, he said, “Knowledge shall

be increased” (Daniel 12:4). The accuracy of this needs no emphasis.
Think of the hundreds, the thousands, of things we use which were un­
known and undreamed of at the beginning of the time of the end— nu­
clear power and space travel, for example. The increase of knowledge is
not only in science, but also in biblical studies. In 1799, at the beginning
of “the time of the end,” the Rosetta Stone was unearthed by Napoleon’s
soldiers when stationed on the banks of the Nile. Deciphering that stone
was a difficult task, but it gave scholars new tools to decipher other an­
cient artifacts. Numerous points of Bible history have been confirmed as
a result— knowledge that has helped to confound the claims of the school
of rationalism. Much more truth is understood today because of the in­
crease of knowledge in both sacred and secular history.

D aniel’s book unsealed to the righteous

Daniel, still eager to understand, asked, “O my Lord, what shall
be the end of these things?” Again the voice answered, “The words
are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (verses 8, 9), or “ ‘till
the crisis at the close’ ” (Moffatt). While “none of the wicked shall

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understand,” yet “the wise shall understand,” said the angel (verse
10). And understanding, they become teachers of truth, preparing a
people to endure in the great day of the Lord. At that time all nations
will be convulsed, and the unprepared will flee in terror, calling for
the mountains and rocks to bury them. They cannot endure that blaz­
ing vision of glory as they see Jesus riding forth in power, with all the
holy angels, to deliver His people. Having defied the living God and
given their allegiance to Satan, they will at last be compelled to wit­
ness the disintegration of their colossal world government.
In anticipation of that collapse, those who love God and His truth
will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, “be purified, and made
white, and tried [refined] ” (verse 10). They will separate from every
form of worldliness and idolatry and, accepting by His grace Christ’s
robe of righteousness, will abide “under the shadow of the Almighty”
(Psalm 91:1) while the earth rocks ro ruin. In the midst of the crash­
ing skyscrapers and shaking mountains, they will sing to the glory of
God: “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the
waters thereof roar and be troubled. . . . The L o r d of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:2, 3, 11).
Daniel’s book closes with the mention of two prophetic periods—
the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days. (See Daniel 12:11, 12.) The 1,290
days, or years, might well have begun with the alliance of church and
state under King Clovis of France in 508. From that important event,
the period then would reach to the time of the end, 1798. The 1,335
days, being an addition of 45 days, or years, could bring us to 1843,
when the great Advent awakening reached its height.
Inasmuch as Gabriel was commissioned to make Daniel under­
stand what would befall his people, the Jews, in the latter days, some
have wondered if the 1,335 prophetic days, or years, might refer to
the Hegira, or the Muslim era, which was exactly 1,335 lunar years.
The Hegira began with the flight of Mohammed in a .d . 622 and
would thus end in 1917, a short time before W orld W ar I ended and
the Ottoman Empire collapsed. The last coins minted for the old
Turkish government bear the date 1917, and on the reverse side in
Arabic numerals, 1335!

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 If
T he M iddle E ast awakens
The collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which for centuries had
ruled that area of the world, not only gave new opportunity to the
Jews as a nation but led to tremendous changes in the whole Middle
East. Little did anyone realize how vast were the oil fields in that part
of the world. Lands that for centuries existed in poverty suddenly
became wealthy beyond computation. And riches have meant power
to these peoples. Additional light will doubtless be shed on the 1,290
and 1,335 days, for “the path of the just is as the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). Till we
get more light, we do well to keep alert and watch for God’s provi­
dences.
The angel’s last words to Daniel were, “Go thou thy way till the
end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days”
Daniel 12:13). Moffatt translates this as, “ ‘Go and wait for the end;
you shall rest in the grave and then rise to enjoy your share at the end
of the days.’ ”
Some might ask, “Where is that grave that entombs the remains
of the great prophet?” Charles Boutflower says that by common con­
sent Jews, Sabeans, and Mohammedans declare that the prophet’s
body lies close to the acropolis in Shushan, or Susa, near to the place
where he received the great vision recorded in chapters 10-12. He
farther states that when Abu-Musa-Alashari invaded Persia in a .d .
640, it is reported that he sent word to the Khalif Omar that when he
entered the castle he found a chamber under lock and key. On enter­
ing, he saw a stone coffin wrapped in gold brocade in which was the
body of a man of great stature. Inquiring who this might be, he was
told that the people of Iran, among whom he lived till the day of his
death, called him Danyel Hakim, “Daniel the sage.” W hen Omar
heard the story, he ordered that the body in the coffin be reverently
buried where the people of Shushan could no longer have access to it.
Accordingly the stream which supplied the city with water— appar­
ently a canal cut from the Ulai—-was diverted, and a grave made in
the dry channel, after which the waters were allowed to flow over the
body of Daniel. (See Charles Boutflower, In and Around the Book o f
Daniel, pages 223, 224.)

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 Where the body of that great prophet actually lies is a matter of
interest, but not of particular importance. He rests only till the great
resurrection day, when the righteous dead will come forth immortal
and glorified.
W hat a day of victory that will be when Christ, the great Con­
queror, comes to claim His people! Accompanied by all the armies of
heaven, He sweeps down the vaulted skies in the full panoply of His
celestial greatness. Amid clouds of fire and pillars of smoke He de­
scends in power and great glory in full view of all the people of the
earth. Mountains melt. Hills skip like lambs, and the seas roll back in
majesty as the voice of the Life-Giver, like peals of crashing thunder,
summons the sleeping saints. W hat a sight to behold as these radiant
ones, rising from their dusty beds, some even from the oceans, spring
forth bearing the bloom of eternal youth!
Overcome and frenzied with fear, kings and slaves, mistresses and
maids rush alike, seeking desperately for shelter from the blazing pres­
ence of Him whom they have despised. They shriek in terror, “The
great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev­
elation 6:17). Says the Scripture: “Our God shall come, and shall not
keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tem­
pestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above,
and to the earth, that he may judge his people” (Psalm 50:3, 4).
Daniel will certainly be among those resurrected saints, for the
last message of Gabriel to that man of God was both a promise and a
triumph: “Thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end o f the days,”
(Daniel 12:13). O r as the NEB puts it: “ ‘You shall arise to your des­
tiny at the end of the age.’ ” Would that all of us, reader and author
alike, might close our life record with such a ring of heavenly assur­
ance. And each of us can, by the grace of God. Someday soon, if faith­
ful, we will share with Daniel and the righteous of all the ages the
eternal joys of the life to come. In the presence of Him who became
the Son of man that He might make us the sons and daughters of
God, we shall praise His holy name forever and ever. Amen.

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ecies
 esus L is t, the Lenter
Every chapter of the book of Revelation contains its own revela­
tion of Jesus Christ. Summarizing these thoughts, we see Him as

1. the all-sufficient Sacrifice and ministering Priest

2. the wonderful and sympathetic Reprover of the churches
3. the Creator who shares His throne with human beings
4. the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world
5. the One worthy of all adoration, honor, and praise
6. the Leader of the church that goes forth to conquer
7. the Lamb among the blood-washed multitude
8. the One who receives the prayers of the saints
9. the One who restrains the powers of evil
10. the Angel who announces that time shall be no longer
11. the One who receives from His Father the kingdoms of the world
12. the promised Child who conquered death and ascended to the throne
13. the Author of the Lamb’s book of life, which contains the names of true worshipers
14. the Lamb of Mount Zion, sending His last message of mercy to the world
15. the Lamb receiving praise
16. the Lamb whose judgments destroy the apostate kingdom
17. the Lamb who calls His people from spiritual Babylon
18. the One who presides over the fall of Babylon
19. the descending King of kings and Lord of lords
20. the Angel who binds and destroys the devil
21. the Re-Creator who wipes away all tears
22. the Judge who brings final rewards to the righteous and wicked
 'lie Book of Revelati
a

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, or the Apocalypse, is unique

among the books of the Bible— unique in its form, its symbolism,
and its meaning. It comes to us from God the Father and from Jesus,
through whom alone any divine revelation can come to man. And He
sent it to John through His angel messenger (see Revelation 1:1) who,
according to Luke 1:19, is Gabriel.

Who w rote the Apocalypse?

Concerning the author’s identity there need be little question.
Four times he calls himself “John” and declares he has previously
borne record of the W ord of God. The fourth Gospel and three epis­
tles bear his name. The first epistle opens with a declaration that the
author is speaking of what his eyes have seen and his hands have han­
dled of “the W ord of life” (1 John 1:1). The opening sentence of the
Gospel of John speaks of the “W ord,” or logos as being “with God."
But more— “the W ord was God” (John 1:1). Then later, “the Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (verse 14). Then near the close
of this Gospel we read, “These are written, that ye might believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).
Eusebius, the church historian, speaks of the author of Revelation as
the “Elder John” who seems to have been well known in Ephesus,
possibly being identified with the “Ephesian School,” which developed
in the latter part of the first century. The writer of the second and third
epistles of John calls himself “the elder” (2 John 1; 3 John 1). There reallv
is no reason to wonder whether John the elder and John the writer of the
fourth Gospel are the same person as the writer of the Revelation.
While some may still doubt this authorship, it has been accepted
from earliest times. W hat other John was there, of whom we have anv
knowledge, who had sufficient influence or authoritative standing in
the early church to have addressed such a message to the churches?

184
Moreover, it is claimed that the author of the Apocalypse was the first
person in church history to be known as theologos, “the theologian.”
The following statement by a scholar of a more than a century ago
sums up the position, which seems even more certain today than
when it was written:

There is scarcely a book in the whole Bible whose genuine­

ness and inspiration were more strongly attested on its first ap­
pearance than the Apocalypse. No doubts whatever seem to
have been entertained on these points. Suffice it now to say,
that Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Melito,— that is, eminent
teachers in the church, in the next age to that in which it was
written— proclaim that its writer was St. John, the beloved dis­
ciple of Christ. Such was then the voice of the church (Chr.
Wordsworth, Lectures on the Apocalypse, page 22. Quoted by
J. A. Seiss in The Apocalypse, vol. 1, pages 30, 31).

According to tradition, John was the sole survivor of the original

apostles, every one of the others having met a martyr’s death. He was
summoned to Rome to appear before Emperor Domitian, “the last of
the twelve great Caesars,” to be tried for his faith. So convincing was
his defense that “his hearers were astonished at his wisdom and elo­
quence.” They could not gainsay his testimony. The emperor, filled
with rage, ordered that he be cast into a caldron of boiling oil. “But
the Lord preserved the life of His faithful servant, even as He pre­
served the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace” (Ellen White, The Acts
o f the Apostles, pages 569, 570). Later, by decree of the emperor, he
was banished to the Isle of Patmos to serve a life sentence.
It is generally believed that this was about a.d . 94-95. That would
make John almost one hundred years old when these events occurred.
Upon the death of Domitian, Nerva came to the throne, and the
usual happened— the political prisoners were freed. It is believed that
John then returned to Ephesus on the mainland. But while on Pat­
mos, he received the vision contained in this unique book.
I have been privileged to visit this felon’s isle, this jagged rock in
the midst of the sea. W hat impressions I received! To be torn from

185
home and kindred and abandoned to this inhospitable solitude, must
have seemed to the apostle like being tethered with the leash of death.
Yet his spot became a grandstand from which the poet-prophet viewed
the whole panorama of human history. Though old in years, his eyes
grew young as eternity burst into view. The rugged rocks and the
surging seas seemed to echo the trumpet-voiced message he was com­
missioned to bear to the church. W hat though his hands were mana­
cled and his feet in irons; his soul was nevertheless responsive to the
Spirit. As the whirlpool of history was opened to him, he read its dark
secrets, seeing and hearing things neither seen nor heard before. In the
blaze of that burning vision life took on new meaning. The waves that
crashed like thunder on the shore spoke of a power far greater than
the mailed legions of Rome. Then, under the prophetic impulse, he
dipped his pen in inspiration and wrote that deathless message which
for centuries has been the great apocalyptic epic of all literature— the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.

T he purpose of the book

The book is called “the Revelation of Jesus Christ,” or “a Revela­
tion from Jesus Christ” (Phillips), to show what will come to pass. But
in another sense it is a revelation about Christ.
The Old Testament reveals Christ in prophecy; the Gospels reveal
H im in His earthly life, ministry, sufferings, death, resurrection, and
ascension; the Acts and the Epistles reveal the early triumphs of the
church under the ministry of His Holy Spirit. In the Revelation Chris:
is pictured in glory at the right hand of God as the High Priest and
Minister of the heavenly sanctuary. He is also pictured as the Supreme
Judge before whom all nations must appear. The final scenes depict
the Savior as King of kings and Lord of lords, reigning forever over
the saints in Paradise restored. Thus the revelator performs the fine,
unveiling ceremony that makes possible an unobstructed view of the
Lamb of God. It is really a panorama of the glory of Christ. The boo£
of Genesis tells the story of Creation, the fall of man, and Paradise
lost. But the Revelation ushers in the scenes of Paradise restored.
Throughout the prophetic structure of the book, the focus is or
Christ, who is the center of all prophecy— “the bright and morninc

186
star” (Revelation 22:16). “The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation
should be carefully studied, and in connection with them, the words,
Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world’ ”
(Ellen White, Gospel Workers, page 148). The Son of God is men­
tioned by name, or by the pronoun denoting Him, more than one
hundred forty times in the first three chapters of the book of Revela­
tion. This emphasizes the fact that the central Person of the book is
Jesus.
In the Gospel narrative, John says that the eternal God, “the
W ord,” “was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The
Greek word translated “dwelt” is skenoo, more accurately rendered
"tabernacled” or “encamped.” The idea springs from a kindly Arab
custom. One who wished to join a caravan was encouraged to pitch
his tent beside the group and make his journey with them. This is a
beautiful illustration of the Incarnation, for in flesh God was taber­
nacled with man. He stooped low to take our human nature, and thus
He veiled His glory. Traveling with us over the rough side of life, He
at last died for us on the cross to redeem us from death. The grave
must take Him; but it could not hold Him. He shattered its power,
ascended to His Father, and was “crowned with glory and honour”
[Hebrews 2:9)— the glory which He had from all eternity. As He
walked with men in the flesh that glory was veiled; but now, seated on
the throne of the universe, He reigns in unveiled and unrivaled glory
as coregent in the government of the universe. John, who knew His
Lord so well in the flesh, now falls at His feet in breathless awe as he
views Him in majesty (see Revelation 1:17), and so will we when this
Revelation of Jesus Christ grips our souls. To know Him as our King,
we must first know Him as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world” (John 1:29).
No American has etched his name deeper in history than Abra­
ham Lincoln, who saved the Union and abolished slavery. A few years
ago, a clever penman wrote the Emancipation Proclamation so deftly
that to an onlooker standing just a few feet away it became a picture
revealing every detail of Lincoln’s rugged features. Closer inspection,
however, showed that it was not a drawing but a copy of the declara­
tion that freed the slaves. The penman had not only created a picture,

187
but through his art had also traced the philosophy that shaped the life
of the great emancipator.
This unique book, the book of Revelation, unveils a greater Eman­
cipator, who has freed not one race but all races of humanity. While
the Apocalypse reveals things “which must shortly come to pass”
(Revelation 1:1), it is primarily a revelation of Jesus Christ who died
that we might live. W hen Lincoln died, his body was taken to his
home city for burial. As the slow and silent procession made its wav
along hushed streets, the crowd was visibly moved to tears. A Negro
mother, eager to help her little son to catch a better view, lifted hirr.
onto her shoulders and said through her tears, “Take a long look at
him, honey; he died for you.” As we turn the pages of the Apocalypse
let us take a long look at Him who gave His all to emancipate us from
death and the slavery of sin, knowing that through all the changing
kaleidoscope of history He is working out His eternal purpose.

T o WHOM WAS THE REVELATION WRITTEN?

This Revelation might be said to have come in answer to the prayer
of Paul. W riting to the church at Ephesus, he tells how he prayed tha:
they might be given a revelation of Christ. (See Ephesians 1:15-18.
Thirty years later John received this Revelation, and the first church to
which it was sent was Ephesus. It was written not for the world but
for the church, for the servants of God. (See Revelation 1:1.) When
God wrote on the palace wall of Belshazzar, the “wise men” could nor
read the writing. But Daniel interpreted the message. Those who walk
with God can know His secret. “Surely the Lord G o d will do noth­
ing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos
3:7).

T he S econd A dvent and the keynote of the book

While this Revelation was particularly helpful for the persecuted
saints in John’s day, and has spoken to every age since, yet it has a
special message for those living just before our Lord’s return. (See
Revelation 22:6, 7, 10.)
“Behold, he cometh with clouds,” cries the apostle, “and every eye
shall see him ” (Revelation 1:7). No subject has a greater place in the

188
New Testament than has the second advent of Jesus. One verse in
every twenty-five touches this theme. Perhaps no doctrine in the
Christian message possesses more power than does this.

Like a magnet, it lifts the heart of the believer out of the

world, and out of his low self, and enables him to stand with
Moses on the mount, and transfigures him with the rays of the
blessed hope and promise which stream upon him in those
sublime heights. It is the most animating and most sanctifying
subject in the Bible (J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, vol. 1, page
35).

The Patmos seer closes the book with the exclamation, “Even so,
come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

T he seven apocalyptic beatitudes

Like the Sermon on the M ount, the Revelation breathes the bene­
diction of heaven. Note these beatitudes:
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear” (Revelation 1:3).
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord” (Revelation 14:13).
“Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments” (Revela­
tion 16:15).
^ “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper”
(Revelation 19:9).
^ “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection”
(Revelation 20:6).
“Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this
book” (Revelation 22:7).
.— “Blessed are they that do his commandments [“those who wash
their robes,” RSV]” (Revelation 22:14).

T o WHOM WAS THE REVELATION SENT?

The seven churches mentioned in the Revelation were not the
only churches in Asia, nor were they the most important. Their selec­
tion, however, is deeply significant. The cities where these churches
existed lay along the imperial post road. This Roman highway was

189
built about 133 b .c . It passed through Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, where it joined another
main post highway. The number “seven” in the Revelation is very
significant. There are seven churches, seven letters, seven stars, seven
candlesticks, seven Spirits of God, seven lamps of fire, seven seals,
seven trumpets, seven horns, seven eyes, seven thunders, seven heads,
seven crowns, seven angels, seven vials, seven mountains, etc. The
number “seven” as found throughout the Scriptures denotes com­
pleteness, universality, or perfection.
N ot only the number “seven” but the names of the churches them­
selves are also significant. These seven letters to the seven churches
contain a message for the Christian church through all the centuries
from apostolic times until the setting up of Christ’s kingdom.

It is the opinion of very learned writers upon this book,

that our Tord, by these seven churches, signifies all the churches
of Christ to the end of the world; and by what he saith to
them, designs to show what shall be the state of the churches
in all ages, and what their duty is (Matthew Pool, Annotations
Upon the Holy Bible, vol. 3, page 952).

The seven churches represent seven phases or periods in

the church’s history, stretching from the time of the apostles
to the coming again of Christ, the characteristics of which are
set forth partly in the names of these churches, but more fully
in the epistles addressed to them (J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse,
vol. 1, page 142).

The epistles to the seven churches, besides describing what

is undoubtedly historical, have so many allusions which are evi­
dently figurative and mystical that there is the strongest reason
for accepting the view . . . “that these seven churches should
prophetically sample [show] us a sevenfold temper and consti­
tution of the whole church according to the several ages thereof,
answering the pattern of the churches named here” (A. J. Gor­
don, Ecce Venit (BeholdHe Cometh), pages 66, 67, note).

190
 Hie Book ol fieriation
Some have attempted to declare the precise date when one pe­
riod ended and another began, but as when traveling on a highway
we pass from one city to another, the population becoming more
dense or more sparse, making it difficult at times to know where
one city really ends and another begins, so on this highway of the
Christian Era, it is difficult to determine the exact date for the be­
ginning and ending of any particular church period. Yet each pe­
riod is marked by definite contrasts, enabling us to know when we
are in the midst of a new era. This will be emphasized in the next
chapter.

Savior, H igh P riest, and coming K ing

These letters to the seven churches not only forecast trends in
church history, but they also set forth the varied aspects of the minis­
try of our Lord and form an appropriate setting for the message of the
whole book.

The seven descriptions all differ from one another; and,

taken together, they make up the complete account given in
Revelation 1 of One like unto a [sic] son o f man. The Divine
Author presents himself in a different aspect to each individual
church; and the seven aspects make up his complete personal
description, as the different churches make up the complete
-and universal church (W. M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven
Churches o f Asia, page 197).

The book opens with a picture of Christ’s vicarious sacrifice and

priestly ministry (see Revelation 1:5, 12, 13) and closes with the an­
nouncement of His certain return, at which time He will bring the
reward of eternal life to those who have been faithful.
The Revelation is apocalyptic in its literary form, a form which
views history as a unity culminating in the final establishment of the
eternal kingdom of God. Victory comes at last to the saints of God
through the redeeming Lamb, who was slain and yet lives. As we
catch the echo of the ages, we cry with angels and redeemed humans:
■'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Revelation 5:12).

191
T he ground of salvation is grace
The message of the book begins with a threefold salutation of grace,
from the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son. (See Revelation 1:4, 5.
“The Father in the absoluteness of his unchanging nature and universal
presence, the Spirit in all the completeness of his manifold energies and
diversified operations, and the Son in the virtues of his blood-sealed
testimony” (J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, vol. 1, page 47).
“Grace be unto you, and peace,” writes John (verse 4). But it is a
“peace” that is rooted in “grace.” To what avail would it be to pass
with pomp and power over the stage of time, only to sink at last into
the darkness and sorrows of eternity? But if we would endure, our
standing before God must be absolutely on the ground of grace, and
not of works. This mighty truth of righteousness by faith in Christ
alone is expressed in verses 5 and 6. The Lord “loved us,” then He
“washed us.” After having washed us, He made us “kings and priests
or a “kingdom of priests” (R.V.). God did not wait until we were
cleansed before He loved us, but because He loved us He cleansed us.
It was while we were aliens, fleeing from His presence and actually
His enemies, that “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the
world” (1 John 4:14). “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.”
cries David (Psalm 23:6). The Hebrew word, radaph, means “to pur­
sue” or “to chase.” Francis Thompson’s poem “The Hound of Heaven
sets forth this thought in moving verse. God pursues the sinner con­
stantly and for the one purpose that He might reclaim him and re­
establish him as a king, sharing His throne with him.

D ivine love an exhaustless theme

“Alpha and Omega,” one of the symbolic names of Christ (see
Revelation 1:8), is significant. As the alphabet provides an exhaustless
medium of expression, so is Jesus and His love an exhaustless theme
for contemplation. Eternity will be all too short to reveal the wonders
of His love and power. In the book of Revelation our Savior is intro­
duced to us under many different titles, each important and expres­
sive. He is first introduced as Jesus Christ; and of all the names in the
world, Jesus is the most beautiful. Dr. T. DeW itt Talmage, in moving
‘eloquence, says of that name:

192
 H ie Bool of Revelation
It stands for love, for patience, for kindness, for forbear­
ance, for self-sacrifice, for magnanimity. It is aromatic with all
odors and accordant with all harmonies. Sometimes I see that
name, and the letters seem to be made out of tears, and then
again they look like gleaming crowns. Sometimes they seem as
though twisted out of the straw on which He lay, and then as
though built out of the thrones on which His people shall
reign. Sometimes I sound that word, “Jesus,” and I hear com­
ing through the two syllables the sigh of Gethsemane and the
groan of Calvary; and again I sound it, and it is all a-ripple
with gladness and a-ring with hosanna. . . . Let it drip from
the harp’s strings and thunder out in organ’s diapason. Sound
it often, sound it well, until every star shall seem to shine it,
and every flower shall seem to breath it, and mountain and
sea, and day and night, and earth and heaven acclaim in full
chant: “Blessed be His glorious name forever; the name that is
above every name” ( The Palestine Sermons o f Rev. T. DeWitt
Talmage, page 184).

Join all the glorious names of wisdom, love, and power

That mortals ever knew, that angels ever bore;
All are too mean to speak His worth
Too mean to set my Saviour forth.
— Isaac Watts

W alking among the churches

In chapter 1, verse 20 of Revelation, Jesus is represented as hold­
ing the ministers of His church, symbolized by “the seven stars,” in
His right hand. It is a beautiful picture of His personal regard for His
own. Then we see H im walking among the “candlesticks,” or the
churches. No matter what persecution.jh&-dmtch has had to endure,
the Lord has been with His suffering saints, upholding them, sharing
Tern frITs,GTd~feelmg^ inflicted by their enemies.
ffWe~would understandTTLmessage of this book, we must study
it in relation to the transcendent Christ by whose power the massive
tyranny of darkness was shattered and the future of the planet was

7 -U . D. R. 193
forever changed. He who “brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10) and who walks amid the
churches, says to each and all, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:7).

T he book rooted in the O ld T estament

More than 270 direct quotations, or expressions couched in Old
Testament language, are found in the Revelation. Rooted in this fer­
tile soil, it is like a tree yielding the rich fruitage of the inspiration of
the ages. Because the whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, there­
fore this book, drawing its nurture from the prophets of old, could be
nothing else but a revelation of Jesus Christ. While Patmos was re­
garded by Rome as a place of punishment, yet that barren island be­
came to the apostle the door of hope and the setting for the most
sublime communion with heaven. Then let us take our places at the
side of the prophet, and by the enabling Spirit of God, let us catch the
inspiration of these messages as we traverse the centuries and move on
into the stupendous climax of human history. Let us witness this all-
powerful King and Christ of God as He comes at last to vindicate His
name, to strip the enemy of his power, to raise the dead, to be glori­
fied in His saints, to destroy the author of evil, to renew this sin-
cursed earth, to reward His suffering saints, and to reign forever as
King of kings and Lord of lords.

194
 M in s of Christ to M u l l
In Revelation 1:13 the Son of man is seen in the midst of the
candlesticks, or the churches, sharing their experiences, understand­
ing their needs. This has ever been a source of comfort, especially in
dmes of persecution. In the following chapter, we will be studying
the trials and the triumphs of the church. But whatever the experi­
ence through which the people of God are called to pass, they may
be sure that the Lord is with them. His parting promise was, “Lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew
28:20).

The conquering C hrist in the midst of H is church

W hen the prophet John beheld in vision the glory of his Lord,
His eyes were as flames of fire and His countenance shining as the
sun. No wonder John fell at His feet as dead. (See Revelation 1:17.)
W hat a contrast from those days when Jesus tramped the dusty
roads of Palestine! No longer is He despised and rejected of men; no
longer is He clothed in the travel-stained garments of an itinerant
teacher, but robed in royal attire befitting His office as King, He m in­
isters before the throne. He is a Priest-King, to be sure, but neverthe­
less a King. In Genesis 14:18-20 and Hebrews 7:1-14, we read the
story of Abraham’s visit with Melchizedek, king of Salem. That Ca-
naanite king who came forth and blessed the faithful patriarch is one
of the many scriptural types of Christ. Just as Abraham offered his
worship to God through the ministry of Melchizedek, the priest-king
of Salem, so we today offer our worship to the eternal Father through
out great High Priest who, as “King of Righteousness,” officiates “af­
ter the order of Melchisedec” (Hebrews 6:20). It is important to no­
nce that Christ is not a priest under the Aaronic order. Instead, He is
of the royal order of Melchizedek. It is in glory and majesty that He
ministers for us in heaven.

195
C hrist, the V ictor over death
W hen John in vision beheld Jesus in His glory, it overwhelmed
him, and he “fell at his feet as dead.” But the Lord said to him, “Fear
not; . . . I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation
1:17, 18). Precious promise indeed! W hat comfort those words must
have brought to the people of God throughout the centuries!
Martyrs, millions of them, have gone to their graves sustained by the
knowledge that Jesus, for whom they were giving their lives, had alreadv
conquered death, and in His nail-pierced hands is the key that will un­
lock every grave. Death can hold no terror for the one who really knows
his Lord. W hy should we fear? Our conquering Savior Himself declare.
“All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth'
(John 5:28, 29). Paul, in his great treatise on the resurrection, declare.
“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Then he
refers to Hosea 13:14: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:22, 55). Death has no sting and the
grave no victory since Jesus burst its cruel bands and unlocked the door
of the tomb. So, with the apostle of old, let us say: “Thanks be to God.
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” “The las*
enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (verses 57, 26).

T he seven epistles of C hrist to H is church

Those messages to the churches were written for the people of
God in every age. As we have already noticed, they cover the entire
history of the New Testament church from the first advent of Christ
to His return in glory. The imperial post road of Asia Minor, alreadv
referred to, became an impressive symbol of the great highway of time
along which the church has traveled.
We will understand these letters better if we study them against the
background of the cities to which they were first sent. Knowing something
of the environment in which the members of those churches lived and la­
bored gives new meaning to many expressions. Six outstanding features
will be noted in each letter: (1) the meaning and significance of the name
(2) the characteristic of the city; (3) the commendation; (4) the reproof (it
five of the letters); (5) the counsel; and (6) the promise to the overcomer.

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 H ie k n Epistles of Chfistto HisCbuitli
The following diagram gives the sequence of the messages. We
need to become familiar with their order:

First Advent___________________________________ Second Advent

Ephesus / Smyrna / Pergamos / Thyatira / Sardis / Philadelphia / Laodicea

The epistle to E phesus, R evelation 2 :1 -7

Meaning and significance o f the name. Ephesus means “desirable.”
The city itself was situated in a very desirable location geographically.
So that period of church history when the apostles were living and could
personally guide and counsel the leaders was indeed a desirable period.
Characteristic o f the city. Ephesus has been called “the City of
Change” because of the shifting character of the site on which the city
was built. It could rightly represent the beginning of the Christian Era,
for no period in history has witnessed more drastic changes in human
thought. The revolutionary message Jesus brought challenged every sys­
tem of thought. Nothing could impede the progress of Christianity. It
was “born in a storm, nurtured in a cyclone, and swept the world like a
tornado.” And Ephesus, “the City of Change,” symbolized that era.
Ephesus was built during the eleventh century b .c . It was beauti­
fully situated. It could boast of one of the finest harbors in West Asia,
but it was subject to great geographical changes, the result of earth­
quakes. The place of its once famous harbor is today a marsh and
sandy beach, unapproachable by ships. The harbor was abandoned in
the fourth century a .d .
Ephesus was a leading commercial city. By imperial edict it was
made the gateway to the province of Asia and became the starting
place of the land trade route.
The city was adorned with a number of beautiful temples. Here
was the seat of the worship of Diana, or Artemis, of Ephesus, not to
be confused with the virgin huntress, sister of Apollo in Greek my­
thology. This Ephesian deity was an equivalent of Astarte or Ashteroth,
and was the center of orgiastic fertility rites of a highly immoral char­
acter. She was known as the “great mother” or “great mother of the
gods.” At the Council of Ephesus in a .d . 451 the title “Mother of

197
God” was applied to the Virgin Mary, an act which bears a strange
odor in the setting of this pagan city.
The temple of Diana was originally built in 480 b .c . It was de­
stroyed by fire on the night of Alexander’s birth, 356 b .c . Alexander
later offered to rebuild it at his own expense but was refused the honor.
Donations were received from all over Asia Minor, and the rebuilding
required 120 years. It was one of the seven wonders of the world, built
of red, blue, yellow, and white marble. Gold was said to have been
used even for mortar. Wealth was abundant, and there are records of
gifts amounting to the equivalent of up to $850,000, which was an
enormous sum for those days.
Ephesus was known as a “temple-keeper” for the emperor. (See
Acts 19:35, margin.)
Commendation. Timothy was probably the pastor of the Ephesus
church when John was writing. This church was commended for irs
unflagging zeal. It was a working church, toiling hard for God. Its
members were loyal to the doctrines; they had tested their teachers.
The W ord of God was the standard of their faith. We could wish that
every Christian church might require the same standard for its minis­
try. In many a church today, modernism or liberalism has eaten out
the very heart of the Christian message.
Hie Nicolaitanes were a heretical group who believed that it was
unnecessary to curb the desires of the flesh as required by the moral
law. As Sir William Mitchel Ramsay points out, they joined the craft
guilds and thus were required to pay worshipful homage to the em­
peror. They may have been the group in Ephesus referred to by Paul
who burned their pagan books. (See Acts 19:19.) Nicolaitanes are
mentioned also in the letter to the church at Pergamos.
Reproof. But all labor is dead unless inspired by love; and despite
its zeal, Ephesus had lost its “first love,” (Revelation 2:4), so Chris:
had to reprove His people. They had fallen from their place of high
honor. The “mystery of iniquity” was already beginning its baneful
work. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7.) Nothing can replace true love.
“The light of the whole life dies when love is done.”
Counsel. Three words summarize the message: Remember, repent,
and return. The Master is saying, “Remember your early joy, when

198
:rue love filled your heart. Repent of your sin; realize your perilous
condition. Return to your original state, or else I will have to remove
vou.” Works do not produce love nor can they take the place of love.
Works are only the evidence of love. The relationship of Christ to His
church is that of a bridegroom to his bride. Loss of love in the home
is a tragedy and usually ends in divorce court.
Promise. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of
life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
Certain trees were objects of worship by the pagans in Ephesus. That
was true also in some parts of Greece. When the sacred olive tree on the
Acropolis of Athens put forth a new shoot after the city had been burned
by the Persians, it was hailed as an omen of the future safety of the state.
But here is a promise that reaches forward to the time when the
overcomers will eat of the tree of life. W hen humans sinned, they
forfeited their right to the tree of life and were driven from the garden
of God. (See Genesis 3:22-24.) But if we will heed the voice of the
Holy Spirit and by God’s grace repent and overcome, we will eat of
the tree of life when sorrow and sin are forever banished.
This is a wonderful promise of future bliss in the kingdom re­
stored, but it must also be a present experience. Through the study
of God’s W ord we become partakers of Christ— the source of all
spiritual life. W hen we thus daily partake of H im who is the true
Tree of Life, then paradise begins here and now. “The pure in heart”
Matthew 5:8) may see God now, but we still look forward to the
rime when, in His kingdom, we shall dwell with H im forevermore.
“Hear what the Spirit saith. ” Let us hear His loving message of
rebuke. So many ears are stopped with doubt; so many voices lead
astray. Let us, then, heed the counsel of the Lord and “hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:7).
He speaks His message to every age, calling men and women,
boys and girls, from selfishness and sin to righteousness and peace.
Never did men look so eagerly for peace as they do today. W ar and
tragedy, broken homes, broken hearts, and broken bodies have bowed
the nations in grief, and from hearts everywhere comes the cry for
peace. Let us hear His voice of love saying, “Come unto me, . . . and
I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

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 lis t's Epistles to Smyrna and Pergamos
Ephesus was the natural gateway to the province of Asia. The im­
perial post road began there and ran northward through Smyrna and
Pergamos, east to Thyatira, then southeast through Sardis to Philadel­
phia and to Laodicea.

T he epistle to S myrna, R evelation 2 :8 -1 1

Meaning and significance o f the name. The name Smyrna means
“sweet smelling” and is synonymous with myrrh. This church of
Smyrna was to pass through bitter persecution, but her sufferings,
instead of destroying her, would give forth to the world the rich per­
fume of heaven. The garments of our Tord are fragrant with the odor
of myrrh and aloes and cassia. (See Psalm 45:8.) Myrrh symbolizes
our Lord’s suffering; aloes, the bitterness of sorrow; and cassia, the
healing virtue of His sacrifice. For all who will open their hearts to
Him, the promise is, “W ith his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

The healing of His seamless dress

Is by our beds o f pain;
We touch Him in life’s throng and press,
And we are whole again.
—John Greenleaf W hittier

Characteristic o f the city. Smyrna has been well called The City of
Life. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and lies about forty miles
north of Ephesus. O f all the seven, it is the only one existing as a strong
city today; it is one of the largest cities in Asia Minor. At the time John
was writing, it was a beautiful city and was frequently spoken of as The
Ornament of Mia. It stood at an elevation of some six hundred feet. A
small hill, M ount Pegus, arose from the center of the city; on its top was
a shrine dedicated to the Greek goddess Nemesis. From a distance, the

200
dry’s skyline resembled a crown, and it was sometimes called The
Crown of Ionia. No city has suffered more from sieges, massacres,
earthquakes, fire, and plague, but still it lives. It is truly a city of life. It
nas a higher population of Christians than most Turkish cities today. It
is significant that when Christ addresses the Christians of Smyrna, He
speaks as one who “was dead, and is alive” (Revelation 2:8).
Commendation. Polycarp, one of the outstanding martyrs, is be­
lieved to have been the “angel,” or minister, of this church at the time
John was writing. According to Tertullian, Irenaeus, Eusebius, and
Jerome, the apostle himself consecrated Polycarp bishop of Smyrna.
The state required Polycarp to worship Caesar as god. His refusal cost
rum his life. He was burned at the stake on the hillside of M ount Pa-
gus in a .d . 168. His martyrdom, as well as the bitter experiences
through which the Smyrnean church was passing, could well symbol­
ize that period of church history.
Christians throughout the empire were compelled during this
time to meet in secret. This second period of church history extended
from about the end of the first century to the time of Constantine or
shortly thereafter, or from about a .d . 100 to 350. Christ had no word
of censure for this church. He knew where the members of the church
at Smyrna lived and how they had labored. Among them were some
who called themselves Jews, but who were in reality of “the synagogue
of Satan” (verse 9). These may have been descendants of Abraham by
natural birth, but that was no guarantee of salvation. Paul says, “He is
not a Jew, which is one outwardly; . . . But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly.” “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither,
because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: . . . They
which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God”
Romans 2:28, 29; 9:6-8). “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). The real
children of God are those who have been born again; that is, born of
the Spirit. (See John 3:3-5.)
Counsel. The poverty and hardship of these people were all known
to the Lord. But they were rich— rich in faith, in love, in service. (See
1 Timothy 6:18; James 2:5; Matthew 6:20.) It is possible to be a rich
poor-man or a poor rich-man. True wealth is enrichment of character,

201
not possession of goods or gold. “Fear none of those things which
thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison,
that ye may be tried” (Revelation 2:10). Trials come by divine per­
mission, but God is not the author of temptation. “Let no man say
when he is tempted, I am tempted of God” (James 1:13). Temptation
comes from the devil, who continually opposes the people of God.
“Ye shall have tribulation ten days,” Jesus said (Revelation 2:10).
During the second and third centuries the Roman emperors tried to
obliterate the church by persecution. They feared Christianity because
it was making inroads into popular thought. They considered it a ri­
val. A number of persecutions were instigated, ten in all, but Diocle­
tian’s persecution was the worst. This lasted ten years, from a.d . 303
to 313, or until Constantine came to the throne. If we reckon this as
prophetic time, where a day represents a literal year (see Numbers
14:34; Ezekiel 4:6), then the “ten days” of persecution was truly ful­
filled.
“Be thou faithful unto death,” says God (Revelation 2:10). What
inspiration this text has brought to the persecuted people of God
through the centuries! W ith these words on their lips, millions have
gone to their death. God may not always see fit to remove the trial,
but He pledges Himself to sustain us in it and promises the reward of
eternal life.
Promise. “I will give thee a crown of life” (verse 10). The crown of
royalty can be worn for but a few years. But the crown of life endures
forever. In the athletic contests so common in Smyrna, garlands
adorned the victor’s brow. Such honor, however, was short lived. But
here is a promise of everlasting glory and honor. It may cost us our
lives to be faithful, but death for the Christian is but a brief interlude
when we rest from our labors. “W hen the chief Shepherd shall appear,
ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4).
And he “shall not be hurt of the second death” (Revelation 2:11).
W hen the wicked man dies, he finds another death awaiting him—
the “second death,” or the death of judgment. (See Revelation 20:6. )
But when the overcomer falls asleep in Jesus, he knows he will be
raised not for judgment but for eternal life with Christ. Praise God for
the certain hope of the gospel!

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 Christ's Epistles to Sm pa and Pergamns
T he epistle to P ergamos, R evelation 2 :1 2 -1 7
Meaning and significance o f the name. The name Pergamos means
“height” or “elevation.” The city stood on an elevation o f one thou­
sand feet and was built by the Aeolian Greeks about 1150 b . c . The
elevation was a natural defense, and the city considered itself impreg­
nable. Kings sometimes deposited their treasure there for safekeeping.
Lysimachus placed his fortune of ten million dollars in this city.
Characteristic o f the city. It was a “royal city.” It was made the
capital of the province of Asia when Attalus III, the last of the Attalid
kings, bequeathed his kingdom to Rome in 133 b . c . The proconsuls
who ruled there were vested with the symbol of authority: the broad,
double-edged sword. The supreme court of the province was also lo­
cated in Pergamos. Life or death awaited the prisoners who came to
this court. The One who addresses this church is “he which hath the
sharp sword with two edges” (Revelation 2:12). In the final judgment
He will pronounce sentence on every soul. (See 2 Corinthians 5:10.)
But He knows the conditions under which humans live, and His
judgment will be just. He takes note of where men were born. (See
Psalm 87:4-6.)
Pergamos was the headquarters of Satan’s religion. Christ said to
this church, “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where
Satan’s seat is” (Revelation 2:13). When the Persians overthrew Baby­
lon, they gave the inhabitants of the city their freedom. But the Baby­
lonian priests later led a revolt and were driven from the city. “The
defeated Chaldeans fled to Asia Minor, and fixed their central college
at Pergamos, and took the palladium of Babylon, the cubic stone,
with them. Here, independent of state control, they carried on the
rites of their religion” (William B. Barker, Lares and Penates, pages
232, 233). Pergamos, therefore, became the “seat” of the satanic sys­
tem of the Babylonian “mysteries.”
This counterfeit religion was built on the claim that it made a
bridge between heaven and earth. The ruling monarch became the
head of the system. He had many titles, one of which, “Pontifex Maxi­
mus,” is significant. Pont means “a bridge”;factio, “I make”; and maxi-
mus, “greatest.” Put together, it simply means “the greatest bridge
builder.” In Genesis 11:1-5 we have the story of the ancient Babel

203
builders. They wanted to have a tower whose top might reach to heaven,
or “be in the heavens,” as other translators read this passage. This oc­
curred shortly after the great Flood in the days of Noah. Tremendous
physical changes took place in our world at that time. In Genesis 8:22
we read of “cold and heat.” These changes of temperature, so real in
our lives today, seem to have been unknown before the Deluge. Thev
are not mentioned in the Genesis record of the times prior to that
catastrophe.
The atmosphere as well as the surface of the earth is vastly differ­
ent from what it was in antediluvian days, and we can well imagine
that those who were preserved in the ark and were therefore able to
compare the world after the Flood with the world as it was before the
Flood were well aware of the changes and contrasts. The inhabitants
of that time were not ignorant of the world in which they lived. But
what caused the Flood? That was the question in their minds. And
would there be another flood? God had assured Noah and his familv
that the world would never again be destroyed by a flood, but these
scientific and religious philosophers were not content with the divine
promise. They wanted to build a tower— an observatory— high
enough to reach above the dense atmosphere and thus enable them
through so-called scientific investigation to discover a natural cause
for the Flood and possibly assure themselves that nothing like that
could ever happen again. The whole movement was apostate and grew
out of unbelief of God’s promise. The mystery cult of Babylon sprang
from this, and in one form or another this apostate religion has
plagued the people of God ever since.
Pergamos was for some time the headquarters of this mystery cult.
But when the king of Pergamos bequeathed his kingdom to the Ro­
mans, this whole cult was transferred to Rome, which has since been
the headquarters of this false system. The “title,” the “keys,” and the
“vestments” have all been absorbed into apostate Christianity. Perga­
mos thus became a link between ancient Babylon and Rome. It seemed
natural for the deification of the emperors to begin in this city.
Pergamos was a city of temples, the most important of which was
the Temple of Zeus. This temple was dedicated to Aesculapius, “the
serpent god” or “the god of healing” or “the man-instructing serpent,”

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 Christ's Epistles t» S u p and Pergamos
who gave man knowledge of good and evil. A living serpent was al­
ways kept in the Temple of Zeus as an object of worship. A famous
school of medicine was also located there, the emblem of which was
the serpent or the caduceus twined around a pole. This has come
down to us today as the emblem of the medical profession. The city
was a great educational center. Its library of two hundred thousand
oooks rivaled the Egyptian library at Alexandria. W hen Egypt refused
to supply the people of Pergamos with papyrus for the manufacture of
reaper, they prepared a new kind of writing material from carefully
treated skins. This new writing material was called “parchment”— in
German, Pergament.
Commendation. “Thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied
my faith” (Revelation 2:13). Even in Pergamos, the center of state
religion and the very throne of Satan, God had a faithful people.
Antipas is mentioned as having been martyred in Pergamos. Tradi­
tion tells us he was slowly baked in a brass bull that was heated until
it was red hot. “Antipas” might well be a symbolic name representing
all the martyrs of that period. Some have seen in this name the symbol
of a movement to withstand the development of a hierarchy: Anti,
meaning “against;'"papas, meaning “father” or “pope.” Whatever may
have been the significance of the name Antipas, the church of Perga­
mos itself was commended for courage. And it took real courage to
withstand the popular trend when apostate Christianity was being
made the state religion and sat, as it were, on the throne of the Roman
world.
Reproof. How quickly apostasy works! The Nicolaitane heresy,
condemned by Christ in the letter to Ephesus, has developed from
"deeds” on the part of a few (see Revelation 2:6) to become a “doc­
trine” within the church (see verse 15). Commenting on this heresy,
Ramsay says:

This school of thought and conduct played an important

part in the church of the first century. . . . It was evidently an
attempt to efFect a reasonable compromise with the estab­
lished usages of Greco-Roman society and to retain as many
as possible of those usages in the Christian system of life. It

205
 affected most of all the cultured and well-to-do classes in the
church, those who had most temptation to retain all that they
could of the established social order and custom of the Greco-
Roman world, and who by their more elaborate education
had been trained to take a somewhat artificial view of life and
to reconcile contradictory principles in practical conduct
through subtle philosophical reasoning. . . . It is highly prob­
able that the Nicolaitanes either already had, or soon would
have, reached the conclusion that they might justifiably com­
ply with the current test of loyalty, and burn a little incense in
honor of the emperor. . . . Their teaching was earthly, sensual,
devilish (W. M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches o f
Asia, pages 298-301).

It is compared to the subtle plan of Balaam, whose compromise

led Israel into sin and vice.
Counsel and promise. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat or
the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone
a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that received:
it” (verse 17). A pot of manna was placed in the sacred ark of the
sanctuary erected by Moses. This was known as “the hidden manna*
(see Hebrews 9:3, 4), and was a type of Christ. (See John 6:26-63.
Only as we feed on Him, “the living Bread,” can we grow into His
likeness.
The “white stone” also was significant. Judges in the courts of
that day used white and black stones in making their decisions:
white for acquittal, black for condemnation. Also, when slaves were
freed, they were given white stones on which their names, some­
times new names, were inscribed. These stones were called tessera.
They were badges of friendship, and they entitled the holders to
special privileges. If a gladiator won fifteen victories in combat, he
was given a white stone, symbol of freedom and honor.
As overcomers in Christ, we are set free from the shackles of sin to
become members of the family of God, and are given a new name. “If
the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John
8:36). Possessing this “new name” (Isaiah 62:2), we are made “heirs

206
of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” “W hat shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:17, 31).
Not only does the Christian need a new name, but he must also feed
on “the hidden manna” of G od’s Word. Jeremiah says, “Thy words
were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy
and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). That is the experience
of all who feed upon the precious W ord of God. O ur trouble is we get
so busy that we fail to take our portion of heavenly manna each day.
God’s ancient people were commanded to gather fresh manna every
morning. Then we read, “W hen the sun waxed hot, it melted (Exodus
16:21). If they failed to gather it early, they had none for that day. Let
us determine that we will gather our portion before the day’s duties
begin.

O child of God! Awake and see the radiant dawn of day,

The rising sun bids thee arise to meditate and pray.
Arise and breathe the redolence of fragrant, dew-kissed flowers,
And gather morning manna in the early morning hours.

All nature is responsive to God’s summons to arise,

Ten thousand happy voices raise a chorus to the skies.
The busy bee is searching for his honey from the flowers;
Thus search for “hidden manna” in the early morning hours.

There’s a sweetness in the lily—in the Rose of Sharon, too.

The Bible’s leaves are petals— you must search them through and
through,
If you hunger for this nectar, you will search in every flower,
And you’ll find the manna sweeter in the early morning hour.
—Adlai A. Esteb

207
 Traveling along the imperial Roman road, we come to the fourth
city, Thyatira. As we have noticed in earlier chapters, this highway
symbolizes the experience of the Christian church from the days of
the apostles to the time when Christ returns in glory.
The sequence of these seven letters, as well as the particular mes­
sages themselves, is significant, for, taken together, the letters give a
perfect picture of the church as seen through the eyes of her Lord.
Christianity, which began in the fervor of the apostolic faith, suffered a
severe lapse in the Middle Ages. This was foreseen by Paul, Peter, and
John, each of whom, like the Lord Jesus Himself, warned the church of
her peril. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians he said, “That day [the
day of our Lord’s appearing] shall not come, except there come a falling
away first.” And further, “The mystery of iniquity doth already work"
(2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7). The spirit of apostasy was already at work in
his day, but the foil fruitage was yet to appear. The “falling away” that
was to take place would permit “that man of sin” to “be revealed” who
“opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God” (verses 3, 4). O r as James Moffatt translates it,
“with the proclamation that he himself is God.” Before the end of time,
however, the church of God was to be brought back to the pure apos­
tolic faith and fully clothed in the righteousness of Christ and filled
with the zeal and fervor of her original faith. Those who await the re­
turn of Jesus will have a pure faith and “be like him” (1 John 3:2).

T he epistle to T hyatira, R evelation 2 :1 8 -2 8

Meaning and significance o f the name. The name Thyatira means
“sacrifice of contrition” and fittingly represents that period in church
history when through apostasy simple faith was exchanged, or sacri­
ficed, for outward works and penances. Salvation cannot be bought or

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 H it 's Epistles to Hiyatiia anil S a ls
earned; it is the gift of God. It comes to us by grace and grace alone.
But in the fourth period of church history men turned from the sim­
ple gospel of Christ and in its place built up an elaborate ritual and a
man-made priesthood. It was a sad day when professing Christianity
exchanged contrition of heart for dead works; when the simple faith
of Jesus was replaced by the elaborate ritual of the mass.
Characteristic o f the city. The city itself gave the impression of
weakness made strong. It was built by Seleucus, one of Alexander’s
generals, in 280 b .c . and was first a cavalry outpost. “It came into
existence to be a garrison city. . . . But no city has been given by na­
ture less of the look or strength of a fortress than Thyatira. . . . It pos­
sesses no proper acropolis, and the whole impression which the situa­
tion gives is of weakness, subjection, and dependence. . . .The history
of Thyatira is a blank” (W. M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven
Churches o f Asia, pages 318, 319, 323).
There being no natural fortifications in that area, it was necessary
to strengthen the northern defenses, so this city came into being. In
later years it became a manufacturing city. Its leading industries were
the manufacture of brass and bronze instruments. It was a place of
foundries. It was also famed for the dyeing of cloth, especially red and
purple. Lydia, whom Paul met at Philippi, was evidently a representa­
tive of one of those industries. (See Acts 16:14.) Tradition has it that
it was she who carried the Christian message to Thyatira.
A great temple built in honor of Apollo, the sun god, had a com­
manding place in the city. In this temple was an altar dedicated to a
female deity.
Some Bible students believe that at the time John wrote this letter
there was a woman in the church who posed as a prophetess and
dominated the church, and that he referred to her as Jezebel (Revela­
tion 2:20).
Commendation. The One who addresses this church has eyes like
flaming fire and feet like glowing bronze. (See verses 8-29.) This lan­
guage would have particular appeal in a city of foundries. It is as “the
Son of God” that he speaks (verse 18). This is the only place in all the
book of Revelation where this title is used. During the Middle Ages
the place of the Son of God was usurped by the son of perdition; the

209
Man of Sorrows was replaced by the man of sin. As “the Son of God,"
Christ addresses this church.
Thyatira symbolizes the longest of the church periods— about one
thousand years. Beginning with the sixth century, it lasts until the
seventeenth century. B. Holzhauser, a Roman Catholic writer, says,
“Thyatira is the middle church of the seven, and consequently stands
as the symbol of the church of the Middle Ages” {The Apocalypse, page
158).
The believers, however, are commended for their works, especiallv
the last works. “ ‘I know . . . that of late you have toiled harder than
you did at first’ ” (verse 19, Weymouth). A change came at the end of
the Thyatira period when the great Reformation arose. Such men as
Luther, Knox, Calvin, Zwingli, and scores of others came to lead the
people back to God.
Reproof. This is the longest of the seven letters, and it contains the
most definite denunciations. The reference to Jezebel is particularlv
significant (see verse 20). Jezebel was a princess of Phoenicia. But
when Ahab, king of Israel, married her, she set herself to introduce
sun worship into Israel, and she succeeded. Almost the whole nation
went into idolatry.
Then came Elijah the prophet, who was called of God to denounce
the apostasy of Israel. His word locked the heavens, and he walked
away with the key. The land suffered drought and famine. Three and
a half years later Elijah led the people back to the true God. He de­
stroyed the 850 prophets and priests of Baal. Jezebel and her wicked
family were later destroyed by Jehu, the reformer.
This marriage of Ahab to Jezebel, and the subsequent apostasy of
Israel, was a type of the time when paganism would come into the
church and the head of the church become the head of the state.
Sun worship, the foundation of pagan worship, came with all its
trappings into the Christian church and is still perpetuated among
certain groups. Red and purple were pronounced in the cloth trade
of Thyatira, and these colors became a vital part of the attire of the
apostate church (See Revelation 17:4.)
In a .d . 538 Emperor Justinian made effective a decree establish­
ing the bishop of Rome as “the corrector of heretics,” thus giving him

210
temporal and ecclesiastical authority over all the churches. For three
and a half prophetic years, or 1,260 literal years (a .d . 538-1798), this
power was vested in the bishop of Rome. The Napoleonic wars
stripped the Roman Church of her temporal power, but in recent
decades she has been rapidly regaining her prestige. During the long
centuries the church was suffering from a spiritual drought. God gave
her opportunity to repent. The Reformation of the sixteenth century
was God’s appeal to His people, but “she repented not” (Revelation
2:21). That is, those symbolized by Jezebel refused to heed God’s
pleas. The Counter-Reformation was launched in opposition to the
Protestant Reformation; thus the minds of many were blinded to
God’s real message for that time.
Counsel. ‘Hold fast till I come” (see verse 25) is the call of Christ
to the church of this period. This is the first reference in these apoca­
lyptic letters to the approaching Second Advent. This great doctrine
has been largely set aside by the teachings of such men as Augustine,
whose interpretation of Scripture undermined rhe basic rruth of the
resurrection. Those Scriptures which so emphatically teach the resur­
rection of the body at the return of Christ were interprered as apply­
ing to the resurrection of dead souls to spiritual life. Moreover, the
promise of the establishment of the City of God, the New Jerusalem,
on the renewed earth was declared to predict the establishment of the
church as the ruling power among the nations, making the Second
Advent of little importance.
Promise. To the overcomer, Christ promised “power” or “author­
ity” over the nations (verse 26); a heartening promise, indeed, in the
face of the persecution of those days. The martyrs were looked upon
as powerless and insignificant, and so they were by comparison with
the pomp and power of the Holy Roman Empire. But the promise is
that they will yet reign with Christ in His coming kingdom and will
then have “power over the nations” (verse 26).
But there was another promise: “I will give him the morning Star”
(verse 28). As the daystar, or morning star, appears in a dark hour of
the night, so Christ, “the day star” (2 Peter 1:19), or “the bright and
morning star” (Revelation 22:16), promises to appear in the hour of
our greatest trial. At the time the church was passing through her

211
darkest hour of apostasy, the Spirit of Christ inspired God-fearing
men like Wycliffe, Huss, and others, who led the people back to the
W ord of God. They were heralds of the coming day of Reformation.
In fact, Wycliffe is sometimes called the “Morning Star of the Refor­
mation.”

T he epistle to Sardis , R evelation 3 :1 -6

Meaning and significance o f the name. The name Sardis means “that
which remains” or “the escape of the remnant.” Actually there was
little real faith remaining after the centuries of apostasy and persecu­
tion. But a remnant escaped, as it were, and started out on a career of
fresh spiritual life. But the new life which had begun with such prom­
ise soon became enfeebled and was ready to die.
Characteristic o f the city. It is significant that W. M. Ramsay speaks
of Sardis as “The City of Death.” In every way, it was a contrast with
Smyrna, “The City of Tife.” Ramsay’s comment is significant: “Smyr­
na was dead, and yet lived. Sardis lived, and yet was dead” ( The Letters
to the Seven Churches o f Asia, page 375). “The letter to the Sardian
church breathes the spirit of death, of appearance without reality,
promise without performance, outward show of strength betrayed bv
want of watchfulness and careless confidence” (ibid., page 44).
The city of Sardis grew into power about 1150 b . c . Built upon a
crumbling rock, it stood at an elevation of fifteen hundred feet. It
later became the capital of the kingdom of Tydia, one of the richest
kingdoms of the ancient world. Coined money is believed to have
originated there.
The almost perpendicular walls of the elevation on which this citv
stood made it appear impregnable. There was only one entrance into
the city, and this could easily be guarded. Because of overconfidence,
however, during the reign of Croesus the city of Sardis was captured
by Cyrus, 549 b . c . One of Cyrus’s soldiers scaled the rock on a dark
night when the guards were not watching. Entering the city, he
opened the gates to the Persians. The same thing was repeated in the
days of Antiochus the Great, 213 b . c .
“The sudden ruin of that great empire and the wealthiest king of
all the world was an event of that character which most impressed the

212
Greek mind, emphasizing a moral lesson by a great national disaster.
A little carelessness was shown; a watchman was wanting at the neces­
sary point, or a sentinel slept at his post for an hour, and the greatest
power on the earth was hurled to destruction. The great king trusted
to Sardis, and Sardis failed him at the critical moment” (ibid., page
377).
The surrounding country was a favorite haunt for thieves. The
city had little or no influence in the Roman period. Its glory was all
in the past. Dana describes it as a typical example of broken-down
aristocracy. And that is the impression any student gets who visits
this site today. As I wandered over its grass-grown streets, I said,
“Can it be that this was the great capital of Lydia, the headquarters
of Croesus?” How short lived is human greatness! Here were tombs
of forgotten monarchs and temple ruins of dead religions. As I
watched the sun rise over the gaping wall, a feeling of desolation
crept over me. M ighty pillars o f marble jutted up into the sky, cast­
ing strange shadows over what had been the banquet hall of royalty.
A few goats were the only inhabitants of a city that at one time had
been the envy of Cyrus the Great. Sardis, the city that once was alive
but now is dead.
Commendation. There seemed to be little indeed to commend.
When John wrote in a .d . 95, Sardis was living mostly on its past
reputation. The few things that were alive seemed ready to die. The
outward activity of the believers at Sardis was not backed up by an
inner spirituality. W hat they had received and heard they had not
remembered and held. Yet there were a few even in Sardis who had
not defiled their garments.
Reproof. “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Rev­
elation 3:1). Like the city itself, the Sardis church had begun with
great promise, but its pretensions were unjustified. No church and no
individual Christian can live upon a past reputation, no matter how
wonderful it may have been.
Counsel. “Be watchful, . . . and repent” (verses 2, 3). How impres­
sive are these words in the light of the city’s history! A Christian dare
not be overconfident. “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

213
 “W ith every conceivable artifice and device he [Satan] is seeking
to take souls captive. Unless we are constantly on guard we shall fall
an easy prey to his unnumbered deceptions. . . . Many today are
asleep, as were the disciples. They are not watching and praying lest
they enter into temptation. Let us read and study those portions of
God’s word that have special reference to these last days, pointing out
the dangers that will threaten God’s people” (Ellen G. White, Testi­
monies for the Church, vol. 8, pages 100, 101).
Applying this message to the post-Reformation period, it fits ex­
actly. Those who led out in the Reformation were men of vigor and
consecration, but their followers, thinking that the battles had been
won, settle down to organized religion. Great movements begun bv
men like Luther and Knox became mere state religions, supported bv
the public treasury. Self-sufficient and satisfied with past attainments,
these people failed to sense the need of the great heathen world.
Matthew Arnolds’s descriptive verse gives a true picture:

Its form stood still without a breach,

W hen life and warmth were fled,
And still it spoke its wonted speech
But every word was dead.

Forms are all right, providing they are filled with power; but too
often forms become mere formality and dead works. “Hold fast, and
repent,” pleads the Lord. “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will
come on thee as a thief’ (Revelation 3:3). W hen Christ returns in
glory, He will come as a thief in the night. The world, and even many
professed Christians, will be unprepared for that glorious event. It
will come as an overwhelming surprise to millions.
But God had not forsaken His people, even in the Sardis period.
Some of the greatest events of history were happening at that time.
Cromwell’s revolution in England overthrew the false idea of “the
divine right of kings.” At the same time, the American colonies were
being established, and these became the foundation of a new nation
and a new civilization. New opportunities were thus opening before
the church.

214
 lis t's Epistles to Thyatira and Santis
Promise. To the faithful remnant in Sardis, God said, “They shall
walk with me in white” (verse 4). W hite is the symbol of purity and
righteousness. (See Revelation 19:8; Zechariah 3:3-5.) The white toga
in Rome symbolized triumph and joy, and was worn by candidates
for high office. Black, a symbol of mourning or defeat, was worn by
slaves and captives.
One of the most beautiful promises in God’s W ord is found in
Revelation 3:5: “I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,
but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
How wonderful to know that even if our names are blotted from the
record books of man and for the sake of the gospel we are disowned
by friends and family, yet in heaven our High Priest claims us as His
own and confesses our name before His Father! Honor and security
are ours, and we can look confidently into the future, knowing that
soon our Lord will come and receive us unto Himself. In that great
day this will be the command that goes forth: “Open ye the gates, that
the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in” (Isaiah
26:2).

215
 l is t s toisi ohia and laodicea
Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” The city derived its name
from Attalus II, whose loyalty to his brother Eumenes won for him
the epithet Philadelphia. The city was founded about 150 b .c .
Characteristic o f the city. W. M. Ramsay calls Philadelphia a “mis­
sionary city,” giving the word a little different meaning, perhaps, from
what we usually think of as “missionary” today. He says, “The intention
of its founder was to make it a center of the Greco-Asiatic civilization
and a means of spreading the Greek language and manners in the east­
ern parts of Lydia and in Phrygia. It was a missionary city from the
beginning, founded to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs, and
loyalty within the realm, the apostle of Hellenism in an Oriental land.
It was a successful teacher. Before a .d . 19 the Lydian tongue had ceased
to be spoken in Lydia, and Greek was the only language in the country’
( The Letters to the Seven Churches o f Asia, pages 391, 392).
Philadelphia was located at the entrance to the beautiful valley of Her-
mus, and was, as it were, the key or gateway to this fertile area. The message
of Christ, therefore, had special significance (see Revelation 3:7, 8). Be­
cause of its magnificence, Philadelphia was sometimes referred to as “Litde
Athens.” But it was subject to frequent earthquakes, and the populace lived
always in the dread of disaster. It was almost totally destroyed in a .d . 17.
Most of its citizens fled from the city, and many never returned. Others
lived for weeks and months in tents and temporary dwellings. Amid the
wreckage stood a lone column; it was still standing in the eighteenth cen­
tury. The citizens rebuilt the city, however, with Tiberius Caesar donating
quite a large sum of money from his personal treasury. In his honor the
people renamed the city Neo-Caesarus. In fact, the city has changed its
name several times. Under the reign of Caracalla it was called Neokorus,
and later changed the name to Flavia. Today, its Turkish name is Alasehir,
meaning The Red City or The City of God. Its present population is about
fifteen thousand. Few, if any, Christians live in the city today.

216
T he epistle to P hiladelphia, R evelation 3 :7 -1 3
Commendation. As in His message to Smyrna, Christ commends the
believers in Philadelphia for meeting the approval of the Holy One. By
contrast, how different was His message to Sardis! People of that church
had a name that they were living but were spiritually dead! But the Phila­
delphian church had kept His Word and had not denied His name.
Reproof. It is significant that Christ gave no reproof to this church.
Its name was a beautiful symbol of the affection that characterized the
believers.
Counsel. Philadelphia represents that period in church history which
was ushered in by the evangelical preaching of the Wesleys, Whitefield,
Jonathan Edwards, and a multitude of others. “The world is my parish,”
declared John Wesley, whose message of “free grace” challenged the Cal-
vinistic theology of “election.” This evangelical movement became the
prelude to the era of modern missions that came with the dawn of the
eighteenth century. To the church of this period the Lord said signifi-
candy, “I have set before thee an open door” (verse 8). Providence opened
the door to missionary endeavor in practically every land of earth. “A great
door and effectual is opened unto me,” said Paul (1 Corinthians 16:9).
Two great political revolutions, one in America, 1776, the other
in France, 1789, affected tremendously the thinking of the world.
Then suddenly the world began to open up for the gospel. William
Carey went to India in 1793; Robert Morrison to China in 1807;
Robert Moffatt to Africa in 1817; followed by David Livingstone in
1841. The British and Foreign Bible Society began its work in 1804,
and the American Bible Society came into being ini 816. The Sunday
School movement also began around this time.
These were the beginnings of a great missionary program that was
to carry “the everlasting gospel” to “every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). The Philadelphia period cul­
minated in the great Second Advent awakening of the nineteenth cen­
tury. Through the study of Daniel and the Revelation, and the inter­
pretation of Christ’s own prophecy, a profound conviction came to
Christendom that the return of Christ was at hand. The remarkable
dark day of May 19, 1780, and the phenomenal falling of the stars in
1833 were recognized as a direct fulfillment of prophecy and as omens

217
 lis t s Ldisi Dhia mLaodicea
Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” The city derived its name
from Attalus II, whose loyalty to his brother Eumenes won for him
the epithet Philadelphus. The city was founded about 150 b .c .
Characteristic o f the city. W. M. Ramsay calls Philadelphia a “mis­
sionary city,” giving the word a little different meaning, perhaps, from
what we usually think of as “missionary” today. He says, “The intention
of its founder was to make it a center of the Greco-Asiatic civilization
and a means of spreading the Greek language and manners in the east­
ern parts of Lydia and in Phrygia. It was a missionary city from the
beginning, founded to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs, and
loyalty within the realm, the apostle of Hellenism in an Oriental land.
It was a successful teacher. Before a .d . 19 the Lydian tongue had ceased
to be spoken in Lydia, and Greek was the only language in the country"
{The Letters to the Seven Churches o f Asia, pages 391, 392).
Philadelphia was located at the entrance to the beautiful valley of Her-
mus, and was, as it were, the key or gateway to this fertile area. The message
of Christ, therefore, had special significance (see Revelation 3:7, 8). Be­
cause of its magnificence, Philadelphia was sometimes referred to as “Litde
Athens.” But it was subject to frequent earthquakes, and the populace lived
always in the dread of disaster. It was almost totally destroyed in a .d . 17.
Most of its citizens fled from the city, and many never returned. Others
lived for weeks and months in tents and temporary dwellings. Amid the
wreckage stood a lone column; it was still standing in the eighteenth cen­
tury. The citizens rebuilt the city, however, with Tiberius Caesar donating
quite a large sum of money from his personal treasury. In his honor the
people renamed the city Neo-Caesarus. In fact, the city has changed its
name several times. Under the reign of Caracalla it was called Neokorus.
and later changed the name to Flavia. Today, its Turkish name is Alasehir,
meaning The Red City or The City of God. Its present population is about
fifteen thousand. Few, if any, Christians live in the city today.

216
T he epistle to P hiladelphia , R evelation 3 :7 -1 3
Commendation. As in His message to Smyrna, Christ commends the
believers in Philadelphia for meeting the approval of the Holy One. By
contrast, how different was His message to Sardis! People of that church
had a name that they were living but were spiritually dead! But the Phila­
delphian church had kept His Word and had not denied His name.
Reproof. It is significant that Christ gave no reproof to this church.
Its name was a beautiful symbol of the affection that characterized the
oelievers.
Counsel. Philadelphia represents that period in church history which
was ushered in by the evangelical preaching of the Wesleys, Whitefield,
Jonathan Edwards, and a multitude of others. “The world is my parish,”
declared John Wesley, whose message of “free grace” challenged the Cal-
vinistic theology of “election.” This evangelical movement became the
prelude to the era of modern missions that came with the dawn of the
eighteenth century. To the church of this period the Lord said signifi­
cantly, “I have set before thee an open door” (verse 8). Providence opened
the door to missionaiy endeavor in practically every land of earth. “A great
door and effectual is opened unto me,” said Paul (1 Corinthians 16:9).
Two great political revolutions, one in America, 1776, the other
in France, 1789, affected tremendously the thinking of the world.
Then suddenly the world began to open up for the gospel. William
Carey went to India in 1793; Robert Morrison to China in 1807;
Robert Moffatt to Africa in 1817; followed by David Livingstone in
1841. The British and Foreign Bible Society began its work in 1804,
and the American Bible Society came into being ini 816. The Sunday
School movement also began around this time.
These were the beginnings of a great missionary program that was
to carry “the everlasting gospel” to “every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). The Philadelphia period cul­
minated in the great Second Advent awakening of the nineteenth cen­
tury. Through the study of Daniel and the Revelation, and the inter­
pretation of Christ’s own prophecy, a profound conviction came to
Christendom that the return of Christ was at hand. The remarkable
dark day of May 19, 1780, and the phenomenal falling of the stars in
1833 were recognized as a direct fulfillment of prophecy and as omens

217
of the Savior’s imminent appearing. A new impetus was given to the
study of prophecy. The prophetic periods of the 1,260 days, as relat­
ing to the antichrist, and the 2,300 days, which related to the message
of the judgment, received particular attention. Prophetic conferences
convened, and these gave impetus to one of the greatest eras of preach­
ing since the days of the apostles. Side by side with the revival in the
study of the prophecies came an advance in scientific investigation.
This was followed by an era of invention, and the world seemed sud­
denly to leap forward, first on wheels, then on wings. New methods
of transportation and communication came into being to make pos­
sible the carrying of the gospel to all the world in this generation.
The word Philadelphia means “brotherly love,” and the Philadel­
phian period was characterized by just such an experience among
God’s people. “Love for the Elder Brother always leads to love for the
other brothers. This was the love that was lost during the Ephesian
period. . . . Its return to the church will bring a repetition of Pente­
costal power” (Taylor G. Bunch, The Seven Epistles o f Christ, page
198). God’s work will close in the power of His Spirit, which is the
power of divine love. And when the gospel has gone to all the world,
the end will come (see Matthew 24:14), and our Lord will appear in
glory (see Matthew 25:31). To the church in Philadelphia came the
message: “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that
no man take [or cheat thee of] thy crown” (Revelation 3:11). It is as
if God said, “Let no man or business or property or ambition or
anxiety deprive you of your crown.” (See Colossians 2:18.)
Promise. The keynote of the Revelation is the Second Advent, and
in this epistle Christ promises that the faithful who endure will be
kept in the hour of universal trial that shall come upon the whole
world. (See Revelation 3:10.) But more: Those who ridiculed His
faithful ones and disowned them will at last come to recognize the
truth of the message that caused their separation, and they will know
that God loves those whom they despised. (See verse 9.)
Mention has already been made of the pillar, or column, rh?-
withstood the devastating earthquake in a .d . 17 and remained through
the centuries like a sentinel amid the ruins. It could well symbolize
the overcomer. Christ promises to make those who overcome “a pil-

218
iar” in the temple of God and to write upon them His “new name”
(verse 12). We bear the name of God who owns us and the name of
the New Jerusalem, our destination.
Some years ago when the political relationships between Hungary
and Romania were strained and all nationals of either country residing in
the other were compelled to return to their homeland, a little girl, four
years old, who had been staying with relatives, was to be returned on the
train to her home in Hungary. No one, however, was permitted to ac­
company her; she had to travel aloneJBut how could she? Well, love al­
ways finds a way. Her relatives labeled her and put her in the baggage car.
Her picture, showing the label, both back and front, appeared in the Lon­
don papers. She traveled with the baggage, crossed the border between the
countries, and arrived in safety at her destination. Her mother met her.
Imagine the eager anticipation of that mother and the joy of the litde one
as the train pulled into the home station! Just so, our Lord awaits our
homecoming. We may not always have a first class seat; we may even have
to travel, as it werel with the baggage. But vTTafdoes it matter? We are on
our way home! We are labeled for the New Jerusalem! Christ’s name is
inscribed on our hearts. We aremembers of the family of GodL

T he epistle to L aodicea , R evelation 3 :1 4 -2 2

Meaning and significance o f the name. The name Laodicea means
“judging of the people.” This city was built by Antiochus II, 261-246
B.c., and was named in honor of his wife, Laodice, reference to whom is
found in Daniel 11:6. This is the last of the seven churches, and signifi-
candy it covers that period of church history when our heavenly High
Priest will be carrying out His ministry of judgment just prior to His re­
turn in glory. The name might also be interpreted “a just people” or “a
Justified people.” Only as our Advocate represents us at the throne of
grace can we be justified. We are justified by His grace (see Romans 3:24),
by His blood (see Romans 5:9), and by faith (see Romans 5:1). Grace is
the source; blood is the means; faith is the method by which we appropri­
ate it. We show it by works (see James 2:22, 24). Good works can never
produce justification, but justification is revealed by good works.
Characteristic o f the city. Laodicea could well be called City of Com­
promise. “There is no city whose spirit and nature are more difficult to

219
describe than Laodicea. There are no extremes, and hardly any very
strongly marked features. But in this even balance lies its peculiar char­
acter. Those were the qualities that contributed to make it essentiallv
the successful trading city, the city of bankers and finance, which could
adapt itself to the needs and wishes of others, ever pliable and accom­
modating, full of the spirit of compromise” (W. M. Ramsay, The Letters
to the Seven Churches o f Asia, pages 422, 423).
Situated about fifty miles from Philadelphia and about six miles
from Colossae, it stood at the junction of two important roads. It was
a city of wealth, with large markets, a large banking exchange, and
large manufacturing interests. A rich farming district surrounded La­
odicea. Valuable wool was produced in the valley, soft in texture,
glossy black in color, but tinged, as it were, with violet. Black gar­
ments were worn almost exclusively by the Laodiceans as evidence of
their wealth. This wool is no longer produced.
Laodicea was one of the leading health resorts in the Greco-Roman
Empire. Lukewarm baths and mineral springs attracted many visitors
from Europe and Asia. An important school of medicine was situated
in the temple of Karu, one of some two hundred temples in the ancient
world dedicated to Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine, or a coun­
terfeit messiah. Connected with this school was an industry for the
manufacture of a special eye medicine, collyrium. It was made from the
famous Phrygian stone. W. M. Ramsay says, “This Phrygian powder
came through Laodicea into general use among the Greeks” (ibid., page
419). Because of their wealth, the citizens were proud, arrogant, and
self-satisfied. The city itself was well ordered and successful, but those
very features made it self-sufficient.
Paul evidendy wrote an epistle to Laodicea (see Colossians 4:13, 16),
but his letter has been lost and is not now a part of the New Testament-
Some scholars believe that this mention of a letter might refer to Paul s
letter to the Ephesians, for it was to be read in all the churches. However,
it probably refers to a letter specifically written to the Laodiceans, for, ac­
cording to our records, Paul never visited this church in person.
An important church council, known as the Council of Laodicea, was
later held in this city. This council convened about the middle of the fourth
century with thirty-two bishops in attendance, and one of the special items

220
 Christ's Epistles to Philadelphia and Laadicea
on the agenda concerned the canon of Scripture, or the cataloguing of the
books of the Bible. It is interesting to note that this particular council
seems to have omitted the entire book of Revelation from the canon. But
the extant records of this council are challenged by scholarship.
We have now arrived at the terminal point of our journey, having
traveled from Ephesus to Laodicea. This is Christ’s last message to the
churches, and He speaks as “the Amen” and “the faithful and true wit­
ness.” He has the right to speak at the close of human history, for He
was also “the beginning” in the original creation (Revelation 3:14).
Weymouth’s translation (third edition) reads, “ ‘The Beginning and
Lord of God’s Creation.’ ” He was the One who “spake, and it was
done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9). As the “W ord”
or “Logos” (Greek), He was with God, and He was God. Christ was
not part of the creation, for He was the Creator. (See John 1:1—3; Co-
lossians 1:13-16; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6.)
Not only is He the Author of the original creation, He is also “the
author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). As such, He speaks to a
Christianized generation, cultured and educated, but skeptical and self-
complacent, having lost its God in the theories of “science falsely so
called” (1 Timothy 6:20). The evolutionary philosophy, studied from any
angle, must be recognized as an attack on the veracity of God’s Word. Its
one great aim seems to be to destroy faith in the Creator. If man has been
growing gradually better and never had a fall through sin, then he does
not need a Savior. Evolution and true Christianity can never be harmo­
nized. They begin at two different points; they travel in two different di­
rections; and they end at terminals as wide apart as the poles. This will be
developed in the comments on Revelation chapter 7.
Commendation. There was nothing to commend in Laodicea, for
this church had imbibed the proud spirit of the world around it, and
its people were in spiritual jeopardy. This called forth the Lord’s clear
rebuke. “Thou art lukewarm,” He says (Revelation 3:16).
Reproof. Christ sees this last church as miserable and poor and blind
and naked; yet interestingly, they possessed all the essentials that go to
make an impressive appearance. They are orthodox, to be sure, but or­
thodoxy of itself is insufficient; it is dead. One can be sound in theology,
vet sound asleep. It is impossible to be an earnest, glowing Christian

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without the fire of the faith of Jesus. The lukewarm baths of Laodicea,
neither cold nor hot, were a tragic symbol of professing Christians just
prior to the return of Christ. He does not charge them with being hypo­
crites, for a hypocrite is an imposter or a pretender; he knows better.
But here is a church of which the Lord says, thou “knowest not” (verse
17). They possess all the outward evidence of cultural attainment, yet
they are actually wretched and miserable and poor and blind and na­
ked. “Increased with goods,” (verse 17), they are wealthy as measured
by the world’s standards, possessing beautiful church buildings, won­
derful institutions, and centers of learning, yet lacking the very essen­
tials of Christian experience. W hen worldliness eats its way into our
hearts, it destroys our passion for souls. All too many of us are com­
fortable and self-satisfied, yet we know not our real condition; we are
inoculated with just enough Christianity to make us immune to the
genuine thing. Could anything be more tragic? And this condition
prevails at the very time when our Lord is about to return.
Counsel. But despite all this, the Savior has not forsaken His peo­
ple. He says, “Buy of me gold tried in the fire” (verse 18; cf. Job
23:10), and “white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed” (verse 18;
cf. Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 19:8). Christ’s parable of the man who
lacked a wedding garment (see Matthew 22) is a true picture of this
last church. “Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see,"
says the Lord (verse 18; cf. Ephesians 1:18; John 16:13). When we
cease to trust ourselves and recognize our poverty, when we see for the
riches of heaven, only then can we be ready for His appearing. We are
blind, but not incurably blind. We need to be healed, but look! The
Great Physician waits to help us. We need to be clothed, and He is
waiting to cover us with His own robe of righteousness. No garment
woven on the looms of earth can meet our need. The black garments
of the Laodiceans, which to them were evidences of their superiority,
were in reality an evidence of their spiritual poverty. In the Greco-
Roman world, black was generally considered as a symbol of subjec­
tion. In medieval times, groups in certain countries were compelled to -
wear black to show their subjection. But white is a symbol of puritv
and victory. God wants us to be pure, that we may be victorious. He
appeals to us in tenderness and love, saying, “I counsel thee.”

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 “When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes pos­
session of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never
accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatu­
ral element into human nature. The soul that has yielded to Christ be­
comes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He
intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus
kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the as­
saults of Satan” (Ellen White, The Desire o f Ages, pages 323, 324).
The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; that is, we
had no part in it whatsoever. It comes wholly from God. But the
righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted; that is, it is
worked out in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. “The first is
our title to heaven; the second is our fitness for heaven” (Ellen White,
The Review and Herald, June 4, 1895).
Promise. The Lord rebukes those whom He loves, but if we refuse
His rebuke, then we must be separated from Him. It is not sufficient
to accept His pardon— we must accept His provision. At the door of
every heart He stands and knocks, and knocks again. He appeals to us
to let Him in. N ot only does He knock, but He calls to us: “If any
man hear my voice . . .” (Revelation 3:20). It is not the person inside
that is taking the initiative, but the Lord, who is outside, stands there
pressing against the door, pleading for entrance. He had come from
the throne of heaven that He might dine with the sons of men. And
it makes no difference who we are or what is our condition. “If any
man . . . open the door,” He says, “I will come in to him, and will sup
with him, and he with me” (verse 20). Salvation is always a personal
matter. As individuals, we must heed His voice and letJHim in.TTot
only will He sup with us; He will share His throne with us. This is
surely die m(wTj5r(ffouiYdTtromise in the Bible.
It is a beautiful pictnTCmmd revealT theTntimate fellowship the
believer may have with his risen Lord. The act of dining together cre­
ates a bond of fellowship between two persons. This is particularly
true in the Orient. Sharing a meal is a symbol of friendship, the host
furnishing not only the meal, but greater still, the freedom of his
home. As we open our heart’s door to Christ, we thereby invite Him
to share our innermost lives.

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 O Jesus! Thou art standing
Outside the fast closed door,
In lowly patience waiting
To pass the threshold o’er.
We bear the name of Christians,
Thy name and sign we bear;
Oh, shame, thrice shame upon us!
To keep Thee standing there.

O Jesus! Thou art knocking;

And lo! that hand is scarred,
And thorns Thy brow encircle,
And tears Thy face have marred.
O love that passeth knowledge,
So patiently to wait!
O sin that hath no equal,
So fast to bar the gate!

O Jesus! Thou art pleading

In accents meek and low—
“I died for you, My children,
And will ye treat Me so?”
O Lord, with shame and sorrow
We open now the door.
Dear Savior, enter, enter,
And leave us nevermore!
—William W. How

In concluding the study of these seven epistles of Christ to His churcL

we should note the scope of His promises to the overcomer. Sin brought
Adam not only the loss of life but also the loss of his Eden home. Bm
greater still, it robbed him of the companionship of God. The openinr
chapters of Genesis tell us the story of man’s failure and loss through sin
The closing chapters of Revelation tell of man’s victory and full restora­
tion through Christ. Everything lost through sin will be restored througn
grace. Note these contrasts in Genesis and Revelation:
 SIN GRACE
Sin deprived us of the tree of life Grace restores tree of life (Rev.
Gen. 3:22, 23). 2:7).

An put us under death sentence Grace gives victory over second

Gen. 2:17). death (Rev. 2:11).

Sin sent us out to earn our bread Grace provides hidden manna
Gen. 3:19). (Rev. 2:17).

Sin stole our dominion (Gen. Grace promises power over na­
3:24). tions (Rev. 2:26).

Sin left us naked (Gen. 3:7). Grace clothes us in white raiment

(Rev. 3:5).

Sin drove us from God’s presence Grace pledges we go out no more

Gen. 3:23). (Rev. 3:12).

Sin returned us to dust (Gen. Grace places us on throne of God

3:19). (Rev. 3:21).

Marvelous heritage for sinners saved by grace! W hen the seventh

trumpet sounds and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom
of our Lord, that settles forever the question of the ownership of this
world. O n Calvary Jesus defeated the devil and reconciled the world
to God. But this will be the signal for the expulsion of Satan, the great
deceiver and usurper. The rightful ownership of Christ will have been
fully determined in the great judgment scenes of heaven. This we will
smdy in succeeding chapters. Wisdom, worthiness, wealth, and wor­
ship belong to Him! “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:22).

3 -U . D. R. 225
 f , Hie Vision of the lo n e , the.
andthe Sealed Book
Now begins the real pageant of the Apocalypse. W hat has been
presented hitherto has been but an introduction. The whole objective
of these prophecies is to reveal the justice of God and to show how His
character will be vindicated before the universe. Our comprehension of
these themes will be greatly aided if we permit ourselves to think of
John as being carried forward to the time when the judgment of Goc
begins. Chapter 4 opens with the invitation for him to “come up hither'
that he might behold things which “must be hereafter” (verse 1). In vi­
sion he enters the sanctuary of God, and from the throne room of the
Eternal he witnesses the portrayal of the great judgment scenes, when
the cases of all are decided. These events in the moving drama of re­
demption fill him with awe. Paul says God “hath appointed a da}', in
the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom
he hath ordained” (Acts 17:31). And again: “For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

A DOOR OPENED IN HEAVEN

The earthly sanctuary built by Moses contained two apartments.
These were called the Floly Place and the Most Holy Place. No one
entered the Most Holy Place except the high priest, and then only once
a year, on the Day of Atonement. Throughout all their history, the He­
brews have understood the Day of Atonement to prefigure the dav of
judgment when the cases of all will be decided. The earthly sanctuam
was a type of the heavenly (see Hebrews 9), and in vision John saw "a.
door . . . opened in heaven” (Revelation 4:1)— not into heaven, but ix
heaven. It was the opening of an inner door in the heavenly sanctuarr.
He was taken in vision to behold the solemn scenes of the judgment
when the High Priest performs His closing work of ministry.
A voice spoke and said, “Come up hither, and I will shew thee
things which must be hereafter” (verse 1). The prophet responds.

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ia d the first thing he sees is a throne. There is a striking similarity
between John’s description in Revelation 4 and D aniel’s descrip­
tion in Daniel 7:9—14. Both prophets were looking at the same
scene. Each pictures “the thrones” or “seats” set in order around
me central throne, and both Daniel and John attem pt to describe
me One occupying that throne. Daniel says His “garment was
■shite as snow” (Daniel 7:9). John says He was “like a jasper” (Rev­
elation 4:3), or more accurately, “like a diam ond.” Daniel says, “A
fiery stream issued and came forth from before him ” (Daniel 7:10).
John says H e was like “a sardine stone” (Revelation 4:3) or the
sardius, a brilliant red stone. The dazzling white of the jasper, or
diamond, would well represent His holiness, while the fiery stream,
or the blood red of the sardius, could symbolize His righteousness.
Says Ellen W hite:

The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ’s work

in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living upon the earth.
It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to
the very close of time and revealing the triumphant issue of
the contest between righteousness and sin. It is of the utmost
importance that all should thoroughly investigate these sub­
jects and be able to give an answer to everyone that asketh
them a reason of the hope that is in them.
The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary
above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death
upon the cross” ( The Great Controversy, pages 488, 489).

The throne itself was like “an emerald” (verse 3). Green, being the
living color, well expresses the mercy of God, while the “rainbow
round about the throne” (verse 3) is a beautiful symbol of hope. When
the rainbow first appeared, it was a sign of God’s everlasting covenant
of peace. (See Genesis 9.) But there could be no rainbow without the
shower; it is the mingling of the sunshine and the shower that pro­
duces it. So the rainbow-encircled throne is where God’s mercy and
His justice meet and mingle. At the throne of grace “mercy and truth
are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other”

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(Psalm 85:10). The throne John and Daniel described is not the
"throne o f . . . glory” (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 20:11). No, it is
"the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16), where you and I can come for
mercy and pardon from sin.
But the greatest comfort and the first guarantee of victory is the
fact that God is on His throne. He has not abdicated in favor of any
other power. No earthly dictatorship can overthrow the Occupant of
that throne.
The word translated “seat” is the Greek word thronos, from which
we get our English word “throne.” These seats were seats of honor, or
thrones, on which the twenty-four elders were sitting. Daniel says the
thrones were “cast down” or “placed” (Daniel 7:9). The custom in
those days, when an assize was to be held, was for one to throw down,
or place, cushions on which the dignitaries would lean during the
court session. These elders, like the priests of ancient Israel, were
clothed in white raiment, a symbol of “the righteousness of saints”
Revelation 19:8). Ministering as they do in the Melchizedek order,
they are therefore crowned as king-priests.
But who are these elders? From whence did they come? Thev
themselves declare they were redeemed from the earth. (See Revela­
tion 5:9.) They are, therefore, sinners saved by grace. A priest had to
be chosen from among his brethren. (See Hebrews 2:17.) These
men, being priests, were the chosen representatives from every race
and nation of the world. W hen Christ arose from the grave, “many
bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves”
(Matthew 27:52, 53). Then “when he ascended up on high, he led a
multitude of captives” (Ephesians 4:8, margin). It was in this sense
that He became “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans
8:29). W hen He was installed as our High Priest, He was anointed
with the oil of gladness above His fellows. (See Hebrews 1:9.) Those
“fellows” were not angels; they were men. They were His “brethren”
who arose with H im from the grave. They were the antitypical wave-
sheaf offering, as it were, and became the antitype o f the ceremonial
in the Mosaic ritual. (See Leviticus 23:15.) Christ is our First Fruits
isee 1 Corinthians 15:20), and He arose on the very day o f the first-
fruit offering. Jesus died on the fourteenth day of Nisan, the first

228
month o f the Jewish calendar, and He arose on the sixteenth day,
exactly fulfilling the type.
Twenty-four priests appear with Christ in His priestly ministry.
This, too, is a fulfillment of the type. In the temple service there were
twenty-four courses of the Levitical priesthood. (See 1 Chronicles
24:13-19; 2 Chronicles 8:14.)

T he seven lamps of fire

These lamps are declared to be the “seven Spirits of G od,” (Rev­
elation 4:5), seven being the figure of completeness or perfection.
This is a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit searching constantly
throughout the whole world for those whose hearts are perfect to­
ward Him. (See 2 Chronicles 16:9; Proverbs 15:3.)

T he living creatures about the throne , R evelation 4 :4

The “four beasts” or “living creatures” (verse 6), as other translators
render the Greek word zoon, seem to be more intimately connected
with the throne than are even the twenty-four elders. The symbolism of
a lion, a calf, a man, and a flying eagle is particularly significant. Similar
imagery is found also in the first chapter of Ezekiel. These four crea­
tures, doubtless, denote strength, perseverance, intelligence, and swift­
ness. Commentators for centuries have linked these symbols with the
four aspects of our Savior at emphasized particularly in the four Gos­
pels. Matthew writes on the kingly side of our Lord, emphasizing the
King and His kingdom. This is well symbolized by the lion, the majes­
tic king of beasts. Mark deals largely with the Savior as the servant of
man, the ox symbolizing service. Luke, the physician, reveals Jesus’ hu­
man aspect as the Son of man, hence the face of a man. John empha­
sizes His deity— Christ the eternal Word— who created all things. This
phase of our Lord is symbolized by the flying eagle.
Though the account of the organization of the tribes of Israel in
the wilderness as given in Numbers 2 does not so state, nonbiblical
records indicate that these symbols were used as follows: The tribes
grouped around Judah were under the lion standard; those standing
near Ephraim, under the ox; those around Reuben, under the standard
of a man; and those around Dan, under the flying eagle.

229
 The scene that is about to open is one of the great climaxes in the
apocalyptic story. The tremendous sweep of events here introduced
leaves one awestruck with wonder as he tries to catch the true signifi­
cance.

T he book w ith the binding seals

The One who occupies the throne has a book in His hand, sealed
with seven seals. Whatever this book is, it concerns the redemption ot
human beings, for as soon as it is taken from the hand of the Occu­
pant of the throne, a paean of praise breaks forth as the elders cry in
rapturous exaltation, “W orthy is the Lamb that was slain” “and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood” (Revelation 5:12, 9). Yes, it has
everything to do with our redemption. And that is why the study of
this book is so important.
While redemption has its roots in the past, its full realization lie?
in the future. The price of our redemption was paid when our Lord
shed His precious blood on Calvary’s cross. But not until He come?
the second time in power and glory is redemption complete. Thi?
world, so long under the sway of the powers of evil, is to be repos­
sessed and given back to the people of God. “Blessed are the meek.’
said Jesus, “for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). That in­
heritance is still future. Looking forward to that hour of victory, He
told us to be ready and outlined many signs which locate the time of
His appearing. “W hen these things begin to come to pass,” He said,
“then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption drawetk
nigh” (Luke 21:28).
The apostle Paul spoke about the inheritance as a future hope. The
gift of the Holy Spirit is the earnest, or pledge, of that inheritance,
which is “the redemption of the purchased possession” (Ephesian?
1:14). While the inheritance is pledged, yet it has to be repossessed
from its usurper and made ready for its eternal citizens. That cannot
be accomplished until after the judgment.
Under the ancient laws and customs of the Hebrews it was impos­
sible to alienate estates beyond a certain time. If one found it neces­
sary through misfortune to dispose of his land, the new ownershir
continued only until the year of jubilee, when each property auto­

230
 matically came back to its original owner or his heirs. In fact, an owner
or heir did not even have to wait until the jubilee, providing he could
establish legal claim to the property and could pay the redemption
price.
At the time of forfeiture of the property a legal document was
executed in duplicate, specifying the terms, so that the proper au­
thorities would have a basis for adjudicating a redemption before the
year of jubilee.
“For the manner of writing the contract, he who was to buy the
ground wrote two instruments [documents]; the one to be sealed with
nis own signet, the other he showed unclosed to the witnesses, that
they might subscribe and bear witness of that which was written. This,
i e witness did subscribe upon the back of the enclosed instrument”
Meemse on the Judicial Law o f Moses, chapter 30. Quoted by J. A.
Seiss in The Apocalypse, vol. 1, page 273).
The one who had possession o f an alienated, or forfeited, property
thus was always liable for the return of it, according to the terms of
the agreement. But the repossession, or redemption, could be negoti­
ated only by a goel, the nearest of kin. The story of Ruth involves such
a transaction; however, in that instance the nearest of kin deferred to
3oaz, who was next of kin. In Jeremiah 32 there is an account of a
redemption of property involving the sealed and unsealed books of
purchase, and the witnesses.
Now let us catch the significance of this heavenly scene. W hen
Adam sinned, he forfeited all rights to this world. And the inheri­
tance passed not only out of his hands but out of the hands of all his
posterity. Satan claimed this world, and for all these thousands of
years strangers and intruders have overrun and debased it. Yet all the
while those title deeds have been awaiting the time when the Re­
deemer, or the Goel, would take that sealed book and repossess the
_ost inheritance.
Before the enemy and his seed can be evicted and the rightful
heirs reinstated, there must be a thorough investigation o f all the
rights and claims. This calls for the opening of the books in heaven.
These must be searched before pronouncem ent can be made. Be-
rore our Lord returns in power and glory to receive His church,

231
every case will have been decided, for He brings His rewards with
H im , to give to “every man according as his work shall be” (Rev­
elation 22:12). Before He comes as King, He terminates His work
as Priest as H e pronounces eternal sentence on the whole human
race in these words: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and
he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,
let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still"
(verse 11).
In every judgment there are three phases: (1) the investigation of
the evidence, (2) the decision and pronouncement of sentence, and
(3) the execution of the sentence. In the great assize in heaven these
same three phases are evident. The execution of the sentence is not the
whole judgment. Before that can be carried into effect there must be
the pronouncement of the sentence. Before that there must be an ex­
amination, or investigation, of every case. This takes place not because
God needs the evidence, for He is God and knows all things, but tha:
the whole universe may know the justice of the sentence and God's
name may be vindicated.
The apostle Paul says, “For we must all appear before the judg­
ment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). He furthermore declares
that Christ shall judge the secrets of men. (See Romans 2:16.) And
again: God “hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the
world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.” And
the appointment of the ordained Man is assured by the fact that “he
hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). This Man, who can be
no other than Christ Himself, declares, “The Father judgeth no man.
but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” “And hath given
him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man"
(John 5:22, 27).
These words of Jesus emphasize two of the phases of the judg­
ment, namely, that which brings into review the record of every life,
and second, that which follows when the sentence of judgment is car­
ried into effect. Note these strong statements by Ellen White:

Christ has been made our Judge. The Father is not the Judge.
The angels are not. He who took humanity upon Himself,

232
 and in this world lived a perfect life, is to judge us. He only
can be our Judge. Will you remember this, brethren? Will you
remember it, ministers? Will you remember it, fathers and
mothers? Christ took humanity that He might be our Judge
{Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, page 185).

He who has given the light, He who has followed the soul
with tenderest entreaty, seeking to win it from sin to holiness,
is in one its advocate and judge. . . . It is He who has encoun­
tered the deceiver, and who through all the ages has been seek­
ing to wrest the captives from his grasp, who will pass judg­
ment upon every soul {The Desire o f Ages, page 210).

Christ Himself will decide who are worthy to dwell with the
family o f heaven. He will judge every man according to his
words and his works {Christ’s Object Lessons, page 74).

The Ancient of Days is God the Father.. . . It is He, the source

of all being, and the fountain of all law, that is to preside in the
judgment. . . . Attended by heavenly angels, our great High
Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the pres­
ence of God, to engage in the last acts of His ministration in
behalf of man,— to peform the work of investigative judg­
ment {The Great Controversy, pages 479, 480, emphasis sup­
plied).

W hy is Christ our appointed Judge? We quote His own words:

"Because he is the Son of man” (John 5:27).

Because He has tasted the very dregs of human affliction and

temptation, and understands the frailties and sins of men; be­
cause in our behalf He has victoriously withstood the tempta­
tions of Satan, and will deal justly and tenderly with the souls
that His own blood has been poured out to save,— because of
this, the Son of man is appointed to execute the judgment
{The Desire o f Ages, page 210).

233
 God designed that the Prince of sufferers in humanity
should be judge of the whole world. He who came from the
heavenly courts to save man from eternal death; . . . He who
submitted to be arraigned before an earthly tribunal, and who
suffered the ignominious death of the cross,— He alone is to
pronounce the sentence of reward or punishment. . . .
Both saints and sinners will recognize in Him who was
crucified the Judge of all living ( The Review and Herald, N o­
vember 22, 1898).

To Jesus the Son of man is committed all judgment. From

His decision there is no appeal. . . . He will pronounce judg­
ment, rendering to every man according to his works {Manu­
script 42, 1901).

Among ancient Israel’s annual feasts, two were particularly im­

portant: the Passover and the Day of Atonement. The first came in
the spring; the second in the autumn. These represented vital phases
in the work of Christ. Paul says, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for
us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). He rose from the tomb to become our High
Priest in heaven, where He ministers the virtues of His sacrifice, mak­
ing effective by His Spirit in us what He 6\&for us on the cross. That
ministry reaches its climax in a work of judgment. This was prefigured
by the services of the great Day of Atonement. Coming just at the
time of harvest, it typified the great pre-Advent judgment in heaven
just before our Lord comes to reap the harvest of the earth. We are
now living in the antitypical day of atonement when our Lord cli­
maxes His intercessory ministry in heaven.
W ith these thoughts as a background, let us visualize the scene in
heaven as it is outlined in Revelation chapters 4 and 5.
The Ancient of Days, seated upon the rainbow-encircled throne,
is presiding over that mighty assembly. The majesty of that scene is
beyond words. Close to the great throne are four living ones, and
around them are the four and twenty elders, occupying seats or lesser
thrones. In the hand of the Almighty is a book. It is written on the
inside and also on “the backside” (Revelation 5:1), or the outside. A

234
mighty angel steps forward and challenges the universe. “W ho is wor­
thy to open the book,” he cries, “and to loose the seals thereof?” (verse
2 ).
In the light of what we have already noticed concerning lost in­
heritances, such an announcement has tremendous significance, for
die destiny of this lost world seems to hang in the balance. All heaven
is silent. Will no one reach forth and take the book? The suspense is
awful. John’s tender heart is moved to tears. He weeps, but not be­
cause he is impatient to see inside the book. His tears are not those of
disappointed curiosity. This disciplined and saintly soldier of the cross
knows the significance of that sealed book. If no one is found worthy
to open the book and to break its binding seals, then all the promises
of the prophets, all the hopes of the suffering people of God, all the
messages of apostles and evangelists, have been in vain. If no goel ap­
pears, then the purchased possession must go by default. The sons of
die lost race can never inhabit the earth. The thought is overwhelm-
ing.
Then one of the elders comes and speaks to the prophet. He
says, “Weep not: behold, the Lion o f the tribe of Juda, . . . hath
orevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals” (verse 5).
Drying his eyes, he looks, and lo! in the midst o f the throne area is
a Lamb, but not in unblemished beauty and innocence; it is as if in
the very act of being slain. The Lamb reaches forth and takes the
book from the hand of H im who sits upon the throne. As H e does,
a thrill of joy sweeps through the whole universe, and the heavenly
host bursts forth into praise. There stands the Goel. A Redeemer
has been found; the redemption o f the purchased possession is as­
sured.
As the Lamb steps forth to lift the title deeds of the alienated in­
heritance, the prophet notices some prominent features. He is a Lamb,
but at the same time He is a Lion-Lamb. Thus the sacrificial virtue is
prominent. But He has seven horns. These denote His strength. His
eyes emphasize intelligence and wisdom. Seven being the number of
perfection, He is therefore the symbol of perfect strength and perfect
wisdom. Twenty-eight times in this book He is called the Lamb. But
the symbols in this scene link with other prophetic utterances.

235
Habakkuk describes Him as having “horns coming out of his hand,"
or “bright beams out of his side” (Habakkuk 3:4). He was wounded
in His feet that He might atone for sins of walking; He was wounded
in His hands that He might atone for sins of actions; He was wounded
in His head that He might atone for sins of thought; and in His side
that He might atone for sins of unholy affection.
His hands alone are worthy to break the binding seals o f that
book. The destiny of men and nations is in the nail-pierced hands
of the Lamb that was slain. Moreover, every revelation we get of
God comes to us through the M an of the cross. All we know of the
future comes to us through H im who loved us and gave Himself
for us.

The Jewish leaders made their choice. Their decision [to re­
ject Christ] was registered in the book which John saw in the
hand of H im that sat upon the throne, the book which no
man could open. In all its vindictiveness this decision will
appear before them in the day when this book is unsealed by
the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Ellen W hite, Christ’s Object
Lessons, page 294).

T he new song before the throne , R evelation 5 :9 -1 3

As the Lamb takes the book, the living ones and the elders in ado­
ration and praise raise the anthem, “W orthy is the Lamb that was
slain” (Revelation 5:12). In Revelation 4:8-11 a similar song was
heard, but it was praise to Him who, as Creator of all things, is seated
upon the throne. But in chapter 5 we hear the same group of heav­
enly beings singing “a new song” (verse 9). It, too, is a song of praise-
but it is addressed especially to the Lamb as He lifts the book from the
hand of the Almighty. They sense what this means. The centuries of
sorrow are about to come to an end, for He who has paid the purchase
price— the heavenly Goel—is now entering upon the final phase of
His mediation for lost men and women; the judgment is about to
begin.
“W orthy is the Lamb that was slain,” “and hast redeemed us to
God by thy blood” (verses 12, 9), is the anthem that bursts from re-

236
deemed lips. But something else arrests our attention— the four and
twenty elders are seen with golden bowls full of incense “which are
the prayers of saints” (verse 8). W hy this reference here to prayers?
Could it be that the great prayer of all the saints of all ages is about to
be answered? Since Adam fell, the cry of centuries has been, “Thy
kingdom come.” Persecuted prophets, suffering saints, and martyrs
without number have prayed and longed for this day. Through all the
long and tragic night of sin, when men and women sealed their testi­
mony in the blood, a great chorus of prayer has come up before God.
Not one prayer has been lost. All have been carefully treasured, as it
were, in these golden bowls.
“The revenue of glory has been accumulating for this closing work
of the third angel’s message. The prayers rhat have been accumulating
for the fulfillment of the promise, the descent of the Holy Spirit, not
one has been lost. Each prayer has been accumulating ready to over­
flow all over the world” (Ellen White, Letter 96A, 1899).
While the elders lead the song of praise, it does not stop there; its
theme is caught by the innumerable company of angels. Then it
sweeps out into the periphery of God’s mighty creation. Far off in the
depths of space the prophet hears the same sound of praise. Wider
and wider it spreads until it reaches every creature in G od’s mighty
creation, in earth, and on and on through the limitless expanse of the
universe, until it reaches the proportions of epic song. The whole uni­
verse is exclaiming in one rapturous song, “Blessing, and honour, and
glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb for ever and ever” (verse 13).
“We shall reign on the earth” (verse 10), sing the elders in tri­
umph. They are not on the earth now, nor will they always be in
heaven. The earth is their home, and if faithful, we with them shall
reign on the earth made new. This is prefigured in the marvelous set­
ting of this great assembly. W hat majesty! W hat glory is there! Daniel,
describing this, says, “His throne was like the fiery flame, and his
wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from be­
fore him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the
books were opened” (Daniel 7:9, 10).

237
 But the prophet John, guided by the Spirit of God, describes the
scene in greater detail. The old apostle is invited to join the companv
of the angelic host. He takes his place beside the living ones and the
elders, and from that place of vantage he begins to watch as each event
moves forward in a mighty panorama. This great scene is without
parallel in all the Scriptures. It is the opening of the judgment, culmi­
nating in the Second Advent.
As we close this first of the thrilling scenes of the Revelation, let us
with the triumphant saints unite our voices in thanksgiving to God
for the hope that is ours, that throughout eternal ages it will be our
privilege to sing of the Lamb and His sacrifice. Our constant song will
be of Him who, having conquered death, has redeemed us to God bv
His blood. But if we would join in that eternal anthem of praise in the
hereafter, we must catch the echo of it now, as we cry with angels and
redeemed men—
“W O RTH Y IS T H E LAMB TH A T WAS SLAIN.”

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 Probably no symbolic prophecy has received more comment than
nas this dramatic prophecy of the horsemen. As far back as the third cen­
tury a .d ., persecuted Christians were drawing much comfort and inspira­
tion from this chapter. It was impossible, however, for this book to be
fully understood until the unfolding of events. Nevertheless, Victorinus,
who was martyred in a .d . 303 under the Diocletian persecutions, wrote
a complete commentary on Revelation. This commentary still exists, and
the fundamental principle of repetition which he emphasizes is vital. The
prophecies of the Revelation are not successive; they are repetitive. That
is, they double back, covering the same periods of time. For example, the
seven seals and the seven trumpets cover the same period as do the seven
churches. Naturally, there were many things that Victorinus could not
know in his day, for the events portrayed had not taken place.
Another important principle in prophetic interpretation, and one
that was emphasized by our Lord, is that only when prophecy is meeting
its fulfillment can it be fully understood. Three times Jesus said this in
the upper room: “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that,
when it is come to pass, ye might believe” (John 14:29; 13:19; 16:4).
The purpose of prophecy is not to make us experts in prognostication,
but rather to make us humble in the presence of God, realizing that only
He knows the end from the beginning. It is both interesting and inspir­
ing to note in the study of church history that when a prophecy was
being fulfilled, there were always some who recognized it. In fact, noth­
ing is more rewarding in such study than the discovery that whenever
God’s great clock indicated the time had arrived when some important
prophecy was about to be fulfilled, His messengers were there, ready at
the risk of their lives, if need be, to herald that message. Unfulfilled
prophecy, however, has ever been a fruitful field for speculation, and all
too often those who are unwise and frequently uninformed have ven­
tured into this realm. When their prognostications have not come to pass,

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the enemies of God’s Word have found cause to ridicule and denounce
the whole field of prophetic interpretation. This prophecy that we are
about to study has suffered much from wild and extravagant interpreta­
tions. But it is one of the most enlightening and comforting of all the
prophecies in the Word of God. Revelation 6 should be studied in the
setting of chapters 4 and 5. Only then can we catch its true significance.
Let us visualize John standing in the midst of the angels and the
elders and witnessing the procedure of the greatest tribunal ever held.
The cases of all professed children of God are being weighed. Each is
being studied in the light of the environment in which he lived. So in
that great heavenly court is made to appear the history of the ages. The
books are opened, and with them another book is opened, which is the
book of life. The judgment is mentioned more than a thousand times in
Scripture, but it is left to Daniel and John to bring us the setting.
Says the prophet Daniel, “The judgment was set, and the books were
opened” (Daniel 7:10). The revelator, describing the same scene, adds.
“Another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works” (Revelation 20:12). (It is significant that these two expres­
sions are associated with the same scene. That book of life is opened again
at the end of the millennium, as is revealed in Revelation 20:12.)
The book of life contains the names of all who have ever entered
the service of God. Jesus bade His disciples, “Rejoice, because your
names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Paul speaks of his faithful
fellow workers, “whose names are in the book of life” (Philippian;
4:3). Daniel, looking down to “a time of trouble, such as never was,"
declares that God’s people shall be delivered, “every one that shall be
found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1). And the revelator says tha:
those only shall enter the City of God whose names “are written in
the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

“A book of remembrance” is written before God, in which

are recorded the good deeds of “them that feared the Lord, and
that thought upon his name.” Their words of faith, their acts of
love, are registered in heaven. Nehemiah refers to this when he
says, “Remember me, O my G o d ,. .. and wipe not out my good

240
 deeds that I have done for the house of my God.” In the book of
God’s remembrance every deed of righteousness is immortalized.
There every temptation resisted, every evil overcome, every word
of tender pity expressed, is faithfully chronicled. And every act of
sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ’s sake, is
recorded. Says the psalmist, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put
thou my tears in thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” (Ellen
White, The Great Controversy, pages 480, 481).

How comforting it is to know that when our cases come up in re­

view before God, our joys, our sorrows, our environment, the condi­
tions under which each child of God has lived, will be taken into ac­
count. All is known to Him. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right?” asked Abraham (Genesis 18:25). The psalmist expresses it even
more emphatically when he says, “The L ord shall count, when he
writeth up the people, that this man was born there” (Psalm 87:4-6).
When our High Priest, the heavenly Goel, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah and the Lamb of God, breaks the seals and opens the books, the
panorama of the ages is unfolded before the great tribunal. Let us then
reverently take our places beside the astonished prophet and watch as
the Lamb of God unrolls the scroll.

T he opening of the seals

As each seal opens, one of the “living creatures,” or “living ones,”
cries with a voice like thunder, “Come” (Revelation 6:1, 3, etc.). The
words “and see” are omitted from many of the ancient manuscripts.
Actually it is more a command directed to the contents of the seal
than it is an invitation for the prophet to observe. Each particular
period of church history is compressed into one great symbol, and,
obedient to the authoritative command, the symbolic horses in a
moving panorama gallop forth with their riders.
First seal— a white horse, symbol o f purity and victory. The rider is
crowned, and, bearing a bow, He goes forth conquering and to con­
quer, a beautiful symbol of the triumphs of the gospel in the first
century of the Christian dispensation. It fulfills such prophecies as
Habakkuk 3:8,9: “Thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots

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of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked." And Psalm 64:7-9:
“But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be
wounded. . . . And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of
God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.”
Whatever spiritual lessons we may gather from this prophecy, the
historic interpretation since as far back as the third century has been
that these symbols picture in graphic language the decline of the spir­
itual life of the church.
Victorinus, that early commentator to whom we have already re­
ferred, interprets the going forth of the white horse under the first seal
as the victories of the gospel over paganism in the first century.

“After the Lord ascended into heaven and opened all

things, He sent the Holy Spirit, whose words the preachers
sent forth as arrows reaching the human heart, that they might
overcome unbelief. . . . Therefore the white horse is the word
of preaching with the Holy Spirit sent into the world” (Victo-
rinus’s Commentary, quoted by L. E. Froom, Prophetic Faith o f
Our Fathers, vol. 1, page 339).

In Psalm 45:5 we learn that the wounds inflicted by the arrows of the
archer are emblematical of the conquests of Messiah. “The symbol of
a spiritual or heavenly warrior . . . denotes the host of the Lord, i.e.,
His church militant, shining with its primitive purity and going forth
in a career of victory” (William Cuninghame, A Dissertation on the
Seals and Trumpets o f the Apocalypse, fourth edition, page 4).
In Edward Gibbon’s Flistory o f the Decline and Fall o f the Roman
Empire, chapter 15, paragraph 54, we read, “The progress of Christi­
anity was not confined to the Roman Empire,” but “the new religion,
within a century after the death of its divine Author, had already vis­
ited every part of the globe.” As to numbers, the same historian de­
clared that the Christian congregation in the city of Rome numbered
not less than fifty thousand, and that of Antioch one hundred thou­
sand, or one-fifth of the population. The Christian population within
the empire alone was estimated at five million. Paul, writing to the
church in Rome, said: “I thank my God . . . that your faith is spoken

242
o: throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:8). And to the Colossians
~e wrote that the gospel of which he was a minister was being “preached
to every creature which is under heaven” (Colossians 1:23).
Second seal— a red horse, symbol o f war and bloodshed. The contrast
in color is significant. The “mystery of iniquity” was already beginning
to work. The church was “falling away.” (See 2 Thessalonians 2:2-7.)
Paul’s predictions were being rapidly fulfilled. (See Acts 20:28-30.)

The fiery color of the second horse . . . and of the dreadful

weapon with which he was armed, indicate to us, that, after the
first and purest age of Christianity, the spirit of love and peace
should recede from the visible church, and be succeeded by a spirit
of discord, or dissension and controversy, a fierce and fiery zeal,
instigating Christians to destroy one another. The ecclesiastical his­
tory of the fourth and fifth centuries, sufficiently evinces, that such
a change did take place (William Cuninghame, A Dissertation on
the Seals and Trumpets o f the Apocalypse, fourth edition, page 5).

The enmity of the Christians towards each other surpassed

the fury of savage beasts against man; and Gregory of Nazian-
zen most pathetically laments that the kingdom of heaven was
converted by discord into the image of chaos, of a nocturnal
tempest, and of hell itself (Edward Gibbon, Histoiy o f the De­
cline and Fall o f the Roman Empire, chapter 21, paragraph 40).

“The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make

reace” (James 3:18). But in the period denoted by the red horse, peace
was taken from the earth. This corresponds with the church of Smyrna,
die period of pagan persecution. How tragic that the body of believers,
so pure in their faith and so filled with love for each other, should,
within a century and a half, have become so contaminated by worldly
ambition and competition that their condition could be symbolized by
this fiery red horse! How sin and self blunt our spiritual senses!
Third seal— a black horse, symbol o f subjection. The work of corruption
truly progresses fast. How the church has fallen from her high estate! Be­
ginning in purity and power, the church became corrupted and is now in

243
subjection to the powers of darkness. Commercialism replaces her piety.
Black, the symbol of evil, error, defeat, and moral and spiritual darkness,
has replaced the purity with which she began her conquests.

As the stream of Christianity flowed farther from its foun­

tain, it became more and more corrupt, and as the centuries
advanced, superstition advanced with them; and . . . tales of
purgatory, and pious frauds, and the worship of saints, relics,
and images, took the place of pure and simple Christianity:
till at length, the Book of God being laid aside for legendary
tales, and “the traditions of men,” all these corruptions were
collected into a regular system of superstition and oppression
(]. D. Woodhouse, The Apocalypse, page 146).

An enormous train of different superstitions were gradually

substituted in the place of true religion and genuine piety. This
odious revolution was owing to a variety of causes. . . . A pre­
posterous desire of imitating the pagan rites, and of blending
them with the Christian worship, and that idle propensity
which the generality of mankind have toward a gaudy and os­
tentatious religion, all contributed to establish the reign of su­
perstition upon the ruins of Christianity (J. L. Mosheim, Insti­
tutes o f Ecclesiastical History, bk. 2, cent. 4, pt. 2, ch. 3).

Gibbon ironically declares that paganism disappeared only to emerge

again in the church. Christianity conquered Rome, but Rome also con­
quered Christianity. Superstition abounded, and ceremonies multiplied.

Quantities of dust and earth, brought from Palestine and other

places remarkable for their supposed sanctity, were handed
about as the most wonderful remedies against the violence of
wicked spirits and were sold and bought everywhere at enor­
mous prices. The public processions and supplications by
which the pagans endeavored to appease their gods were now
adopted into the Christian worship and celebrated in many
places with great pomp and magnificence (ibid.).

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T he balances, or the yoke, in the rider’s hand

Tne balances denoted that religion and civil power would

be united in the person who would administer the executive
power in the government, and that he would claim the judi­
cial authority both in church and state. This was true among
the Roman emperors from the days of Constantine until the
reign of Justinian, when he gave the same judicial power to
the bishop of Rome (William Miller, Evidence From Scripture
and History o f the Second Coming o f Christ, page 176).

T he wheat and barley

A spiritual dearth marked the experience of the church during
these centuries. A measure (choenix) of wheat was less than a quart.
This was considered a scanty allowance for a soldier. In ordinary times,
a penny would buy twenty-four measures of barley, but here only
three— the amount allotted to a slave. Barley was eaten only by the
poorest. It was considered a much cheaper grade of food than wheat.

A denarius [penny] was the ordinary wages for a full day’s la­
bor. And when a choenix of wheat costs a denarius, it is as much
as a man can do to earn the bread he himself consumes, leaving
nothing for his farmly or for his other wants. . . . The arrival of
things at such a pass, accordingly argues a severity of hard times,
distress, and want, almost beyond the power of imagination to
depict (J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, vol.l, pages 333, 334).

During this period of spiritual famine, a cheaper grade of spiritual

rood was being offered to the people, and they could receive only the
smallest amount of the Word of God. Tradition and the teachings of the
Catholic fathers were being taught rather than the pure doctrines of Christ.
This corrupted religion was being sold or bartered as a commodity. But
pure religion cannot be purchased either by pence or penance. The Lord’s
invitation is, “Come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk with­
out money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). The foundations for the
whole system of apostate Christianity were laid during this period.

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 Fourth seal— a pale horse, symbol o f death. W hen a plant is shut
away from the sun, it loses its color; it turns pale green. So, the church
having departed from the apostolic faith, it was scarcely possible for
the rays of the Sun of Righteousness to penetrate the spiritual dark­
ness of those days. Those who should have been the ministers of life
became actually the ministers of death. Controlled by the instigator of
death, the devil (see Hebrews 2:14), these ministers of death slew men
and women by hunger, sword, and the beasts of the earth.

The pale livid green color of this horse is emblematical of a

state of things even more dreadful than that of the preceding seal.
The character of his rider corresponds with this idea; his name is
called Death, the king of terrors. He is followed by H ell.. . . The
whole assemblage of figures constitutes an hieroglyphical repre­
sentation of the most horrible and terrific nature, and points out
to us a period when the rulers of the visible church should seem
to lose the character of men, and to assume that of malignant
demons and savage beasts, and of Death himself; and should ex­
tirpate, by fire and sword, all who dared to prefer death to the
sacrifice of a good conscience. This seal evidently represents the
state of the church during those ages, when the flames of persecu­
tion were kindled by the papal power (William Cuninghame, A
Dissertation on the Seals and Trumpets o f the Apocalypse, page 10).

Millions were martyred for their faith during these dark centuries.
J. A. Wylie stated it well when he said, “The noon of the papacy was the
midnight of the world” {The History o f Protestantism, vol. 1, page 16).
H. G. Wells described the papacy as an attempt at world dominion
through religion. W hat Alexander, Caesar, and others had tried to do.
but failed, this politico-religious power seemed determined to accom­
plish. The persecutions of this power are found in other prophecies:
Daniel 7:21, 25; 11:33; Matthew 24:21, 22; Revelation 13:7; 12:6, 14:
17:6. During this period, the “two witnesses” had to do their work
clothed in sackcloth. (See Revelation 11:1-3.) But God has a record of
every suffering saint, and the martyrs will have a special place of hono­
ur the coming kingdom of glory. (See Revelation 7:13-17; 20:4.)

246
 Fifth seal— souls under the altar. As the prophet witnessed the un­
folding of events, he heard voices from under the altar crying for jus-
rice. In the Mosaic sanctuary there were two altars— the altar of in­
cense inside, and the altar of burnt offerings outside, in the court. The
sacrifices were offered outside the sanctuary, the blood being poured
out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. W hen the fifth seal was
opened, John saw the martyrs of Jesus “under the altar” (Revelation
6:9), or “at the foot of the altar” (Weymouth). Their blood had been
shed in the cause of Christ, and came up, as it were, in a chorus cry­
ing, “How long, O Lord, how long?” (See verse 10.)
No more dramatic picture could be given of the Reformation,
which burst upon the world with a call to return to “the Bible and the
Bible only” as the textbook of belief. It was a cry to God for spiritual
power, and like the blood of Abel, which cried unto God for ven­
geance (see Genesis 4:10), there rose a great appeal for vindication of
the truth for which the martyrs had died. “The souls are represented
under the altar, just as victims slain upon it would pour out their
blood beneath it, and fall by its side” (Uriah Smith, The Prophecies o f
Daniel and the Revelation, page 433). Albert Barnes, the noted Presby­
terian commentator, tells us, “We are not to suppose that this literally
occurred, and that John actually saw the souls of the martyrs beneath
the altars— for the whole representation is symbolical” (Notes on the
Sew Testament, vol. 9, [Rook of Revelation], page 171).
John was beholding the unfolding of the panorama of the ages.
This was another cycle of history.
The white robes are a symbol of the righteousness of Christ. (See
Revelation 19:8.) Those who come out of great tribulation receive
white robes. (See Revelation 7:13, 14.) They include a multitude that
no man can number. (See verse 9.) Only overcomers are clothed in
white raiment. (See Revelation 3:5.) This is the wedding garment (see
Matthew 22:11, 12) of which Christ spoke in the parable. In the great
judgment scene in heaven, when individual cases come before God
tor review, each is considered in the light of heredity, opportunity,
and environment. (See Psalm 87:6; Luke 10:10-12.) And rewards
will be given to each according to his faith and works under the envi­
ronment in which he lived.

2 47
 W hen Sir Samuel Morland, sent by Cromwell to investigate the
papal massacre of the Waldenses, returned from the Piedmont Alps
with the tragic story, the blind poet John Milton, secretary of state
under Cromwell, expressed the revulsion of the civilized world in his
immortal sonnet:

Avenge, O Lord, Thy slaughtered saints, whose bones

Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold;
Even them who kept Thy truth so pure of old,
W hen all our fathers worshiped stocks and stones,
Forget not: in Thy book record their groans
W ho were Thy sheep, and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody Piedmontese, that rolled
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubled to the hills, and they
To heaven their martyred blood and ashes sow
O ’er all the Italian fields, where still doth sway
The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
A hundredfold, who, having learnt Thy way,
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.

Sixth seal—signs o f the Lord’s imminent return. As the sixth seal

opens, it is self-evident that the language changes from symbolic to lit­
eral. The Old Testament writers and Christ Himself spoke many time?
of great signs in the physical universe, in the sun, the moon, the stars,
and the earth. These would be special indications of the imminence of
our Lord’s return. The fact that generations of men lived through these
events makes it necessary that they come in review before God.

A GREAT EARTHQUAKE
The sixth seal opens with great convulsions of the earth. One of
the most extensively felt earthquakes ever recorded occurred Novem­
ber 1, 1755. It is sometimes called the Lisbon earthquake because the
greater part of that city was destroyed, with the loss of between sixrv
thousand and ninety thousand lives. The sea rose to fifty feet above its
ordinary level.

248
 The great earthquake of [November 1,] 1755, extended
over a tract of at least four millions of square miles. . . . It
pervaded the greater portion of the continents of Europe, Af­
rica, and America; but its extreme violence was exercised on
the southwestern part of the former. . . .
In Africa, this earthquake was felt almost as severely as it had
been in Europe. . . . It is probable . . . that all Africa was shaken.
. . . At the north, it extended to Norway and Sweden; Germany,
Holland, France, Great Britain, and Ireland were all more or less
agitated by the same great and terrible commotion of the ele­
ments (Robert Sears, Wonders o f the World, pages 50, 58).

Earthquakes are a sign of our Lord’s near return. Devastating

quakes have occurred in recent times which have taken a frightful toll
or lives: San Francisco, Jamaica, China, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, etc.

T he sun black; the m oon as blood

A few years after the great convulsion of 1755, other signs began
to occur in the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Almost, if not altogether alone, as the most mysterious

and as yet unexplained phenomenon of its kind, in nature’s
diversified range of events, . . . stands the dark day of May
19th, 1780,— a most unaccountable darkening of the whole
visible heavens and atmosphere in New England (R. M. De-
vens, Our First Century, pages 89, 90).

“The dark day in Northern America was one of those

wonderful phenomena of nature which will always be read of
with interest, but which philosophy is at a loss to explain” (Sir
William Herschel, quoted by R. M. Devens in Our First Cen­
tury, page 90).

“The darkness of the following evening was probably as gross

as ever has been observed since the Almighty fiat gave birth to
light. . . . I could not help conceiving at the time, that if every

249
 luminous body in the universe had been shrouded in impenetra­
ble shade, or struck out of existence, the darkness could not have
been more complete. A sheet of white paper held within a few
inches of the eyes, was equally invisible with the blackest velvet”
(Samuel Tenny of Exeter, New Hampshire, quoted by Uriah
Smith in The Prophecies o f Daniel and the Revelation, page 445).

That the darkness was not caused by an eclipse is manifest

by the various positions of the planets of our system at that
time; for the moon was more than one hundred fifty degrees
from the sun all that day (Dr. Samuel Stearns, Independent
Chronicle, Boston, June 22, 1780).

The next night the moon appeared blood-red. The exact cause has
never been settled. Forest fires seem to offer a paltry explanation, espe­
cially in the light of scientific statements that the cause is unknown.

T he falling stars

O n the night of November 12-13, 1833, a tempest of

falling stars broke over the earth. N orth America bore the
brunt of the pelting. From the G ulf of Mexico to Halifax,
until daylight with some difficulty put an end to the display,
the sky was scored in every direction with shining tracks and
illuminated with majestic fireballs (Agnes M. Clerke, History
o f Astronomy in the Nineteenth Century, page 328).

Probably the most remarkable of all the meteoric showers

that have ever occurred was that of the Feonids on [the night
following] November 12, 1833. The number at some stations
was estimated as high as 200,000 an hour for five or six hours
(C. A. Young, M anual o f Astronomy, page 469).

Another great display of falling stars occurred in the Old W o d i

in 1866. While this did not meet the prophetic description so accu­
rately, it was undoubtedly another sign of the Savior’s near return.

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 There were times when it seemed as if a mighty wind had
caught the old stars, loosed them from their holding, and
swept them across the firmament. . . . A most startling and
most awful phenomenon. . . . But science, which dispels so
many terrors and proves so many appearances, illusions, and
nothing more, does not do so in this instance (.London Times,
November 15 [Thursday], 1866).

The dark day and the falling stars were remarkable signs for that gen­
eration. But other things are happening in this generation. A few decades
azo science hurled humanity into the atomic age. Human beings have
r ranged into space. Do these amazing facts have any meaning for us? The
lord’s coming will be preceded by signs in heaven and earth.

T he heaven departed as a scroll

This cannot refer to the celestial heavens, but rather to the atmospheric
rteavens. The atmosphere, or firmament, is also called “heaven.” (See
Genesis 1:8.) At the second coming of Christ the atmosphere will pass
sway, and the mountains and islands will disappear. (See Revelation
6:14; 16:18-20.) Those who have spurned His grace will flee for cover,
crying, “W ho shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17). Only those
whose lives have been sanctified by the truth will stand. (See Ephe­
sians 6:11-17.) They will not fear. (See Psalm 46.) It is significant to
realize that our generation finds itself just between verses 13 and 14 of
Revelation chapter 6. The signs in the heavens have been fulfilled, and
we can look confidently for the coming of our Lord. But the great
question is, W ho shall be able to stand?
Seventh seal—silence in heaven. The opening of the seventh seal is
round in Revelation 8:1— chapter 7 being really a parenthetical chap­
ter. This chapter we will study later. When Jesus returns for His people,
every angel in glory will accompany Him. (See Matthew 25:31.) Those
heavenly beings whose voices are heard in continual praise will descend
with their Commander to bring back the ransomed of the Lord. No
wonder heaven is silent, the dwelling place of God hushed because of
their absence; the earth is a scene of both victory and tragedy. The right­
eous and the wicked are then separated. Those who have rejected the

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grace of God will be unable to withstand the glory that accompanies the
Savior when he returns to earth, and they will be destroyed by the
brightness of His coming. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:8.) Those whose heans
are perfect toward Him will be changed in a moment (see 1 Corinthi­
ans 15:51, 52), and then caught up to meet the Lord in the air (see
1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). This mighty host is “the righteous nation
which keepeth the truth” (Isaiah 26:2), the redeemed of all ages. Ther
ascend together to the City of God. Will you be among them?
This vibrant hymn was written many years ago, but it paints a vfvic
picture of the power and glory of our Lord’s return. The author, an Irish
minister, had one passion— to preach Christ and His saving grace. He
presented truth with such conviction that the pulpits of the land wen:
later closed to him. Yet the crowds flocked to fields and factories to hear
his message. This is one of 765 hymns that he wrote:

Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious,

See the Man of sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious,
Ev’ry knee to Him shall bow;
Crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, crown Him,
Crowns become the victor’s brow.

Sinners in derision crowned Him,

Mocking thus the Savior’s claim;
Saints and angels crowd around Him,
Own His title, praise His name;
Crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, crown Him,
Spread abroad the victor’s fame.

Hark! those bursts of acclamation;

Hark! those loud triumphant chords;
Jesus takes the highest station;
Oh, what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, crown Him,
King of kings, the Lord of lords.
— Thomas Kelly (1769-1854)
 'ie Sealed Number and the
n im b le Company
This prophecy is parenthetical. It fits into the picture as describing
events that take place between verses 13 and 14 of Revelation chapter 6
lust before our Lord returns in glory. When the wicked, those who have
rejected salvation, see the cataclysmic events brought to view under the
sixth seal, they cry in anguish of soul: “WTio shall be able to stand?” (Rev­
elation 6:17). But some will stand. These will be the righteous who have
prepared themselves to meet the Lord. In confidence they look up into
me radiant heavens filled with the angelic host and in praise exclaim, “Lo,
mis is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us” (Isaiah 25:9).
This is the climax of the ages. And those who live to witness our Savior’s
glorious appearing will need a special preparation of heart and life.
Angels holding the four winds, Revelation 7:1. Here is a picture of
divine interposition. As the judgments of God are about to fall, the
Lord reveals that a restraining hand is over the affairs of men. But for
mis, civilization would destroy itself.
“The four winds” denote the four points of the compass. (See
eremiah 49:36.) W ind symbolizes war or strife and commotion. (See
Daniel 7:2; Jeremiah 25:31-34; 51:1,2, 11.) The powers of evil, how­
ever, are not permitted to do their deadly work until God’s people
cave been sealed for His kingdom. A seal stands for ownership and
protection. At the very time all the world is turning away from God,
there are faithful ones on whom the Lord can place His seal.
The angel ascending from the east, having the seal. The word angel,
used symbolically in the Revelation, means “messenger” or “message.”
This angel, or message, carries the seal of the living God. Some transla­
tions of Revelation 7:2 read, “ascending from the sun rising.” This is a
more true translation. It appears that the manner, rather than the local­
ly, is emphasized. As the sun arises with its rays at first oblique and
comparatively powerless, but increases in strength and glory until it
reaches its zenith, so the work of this angel, or message, moves onward

253
with ever increasing influence until its work closes in strength and power,
the whole earth being “lightened with his glory” (Revelation 18:1).
In vision the prophet watches the panorama. He sees angels of
God holding in check the forces of destruction. At the same time
wicked angels are stirring up strife among the nations of the whole
world, leading them on to “the battle of that great day of God Al­
mighty” (Revelation 16:14). However, not until God’s work is fin­
ished in the earth are these powers of darkness permitted full scope.

T he sealing

“This action of sealing with the seal or signet of God, is equiva­

lent to a declaration that they who are so sealed appertain to God
and are distinguished as such from others who do not thus belong
to Him, and are assured by Him of His protection against all evil”
(Christian Wordsworth, Lectures on the Apocalypse. Quoted by
J. A. Seiss in The Apocalypse, vol. 1, pages 423, 424).

Paul says, “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal.
The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Timothy 2:19). God is build­
ing a noble castle, or a spiritual house, and His people are the living
stones that form that house, each stone bearing the seal of His owner­
ship. (See 1 Peter 2:5.) Among the ruins of the ancient city of Baby­
lon are bricks stamped with the name of the builder, King Nebuchad­
nezzar. So we, by the grace of God, are stones in the house of G od
and we bear His name or the mark of His ownership. “This sealing
secures the safety of the sealed ones as the judgment of the great ckv
goes over the nations” (J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, page 424).

A seal is used to render valid or authentic any enactments or

laws that a person or power may promulgate. Frequent instances
of its use occur in the Scriptures. In 1 Kings 21:8 we read that
Jezebel “wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his
seal.” These letters then had all the authority of King Ahab.
Again, in Esther 3:12: “In the name of King Ahasuerus was it
written, and sealed with the king’s ring.” So also in Esther 8:8:

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 Ihe Sealed Number and the Innumerable Company
“The writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed
with the king’s ring, may no man reverse” (Uriah Smith, 7he
Prophecies o f Daniel and the Revelation, page 455).

Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord says: “Seal the law among
my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16). W hen a law is placed on the statute books
or the land, it is made valid by the seal of the ruler. And it is God’s law
that is sealed in the hearts and minds of His people. God’s law was
written in Christ’s heart (see Psalm 40:8), and one of the blessings of
the new covenant is, “I will put my laws into their mind, and write
them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10). Only as God’s law is in the
heart can one be victorious over sin, which is “the transgression of the
law” (1 John 3:4). The Holy Spirit is the power by which we “are
sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
Someone tells the story of an old soldier of the czar who was hav­
ing a bullet removed from his chest. As the surgeon probed about in
an effort to find it (there were no X-rays or anesthetics in those days),
the patient spoke up and said, “Dig a little deeper, doctor, and there
you’ll find the image of the emperor.” Do our hearts reflect as truly
the image of our Master?
A ruler’s seal must of necessity contain three things: (1) his name, (2)
his office, and (3) the territory over which he has jurisdiction. Thus we
should be able to find in God’s law His name, His office, and the territory
over which He rules. All are found in one commandment only—the
fourth. Five of the Ten Commandments mention the Lord, but four of
die five do not identify Him. Only the fourth (see Exodus 20:8-11) re­
veals His identity and His relationship to us as Creator. Note this state­
ment from the fourth commandment: “In six days the L o r d made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is” (verse 11). Here God declares
Himself as (1) the Lord—Jehovah or the eternally existing One, (2) the
Creator—He made, (3) the universe—His territory, heaven and earth,
and the sea. As Creator, He has authority to command His creatures, and
die fourth commandment, which requires us to “remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy” (verse 8), is the only commandment that emphasizes
God as the Creator. No wonder the enemy of God and man attacks this
commandment particularly! It is the one commandment of all the ten

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Unveiling Daniel and Revelation
that men and women are prone to forget. Moreover, this Sabbath com­
mandment is attacked from inside the church as well as from outside it.
Through all the ages the enemy of God has tried to turn the minds
of men away from the Creator, but in our generation his attack is more
subtle. Through the evolutionary theory, millions have been led to dis­
believe the whole story of Creation. In so doing, they are actually reject­
ing God as both Creator and Redeemer, for only creative power can
redeem us. It was the Creator Himself who became man that He might
redeem us by His blood. Only as He creates in us a clean heart and re­
news in us a right spirit (see Psalm 51:10) can we be citizens of His
kingdom. But this is as definitely a work of creation as when He spoke
worlds into existence. God’s special message for this time, the message
of the everlasting gospel which announces that the hour of His judg­
ment is come, also calls men and women to “worship him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation
14:7). This is a call to full obedience, and in the hearts of those who
heed God’s call He writes His law in which is His seal or His name. The
wicked, by contrast, have the name or the mark of the beast, written
either in their foreheads (symbol of the mind) or in their hands (symbol
of service). (See Revelation 13:16.) But the seal of God, or the “Father t
name,” is found only in the foreheads of the sealed ones. (See Revela­
tion 14:1; 22:4.) It is not received in the hand, because the hand is a
symbol of service or works. Works can never be a qualification for the
reception of that seal. We are made perfect by grace alone.

T W O GREAT W O R L D M O V EM EN TS
With the dawn of the nineteenth century two great movements arose:
(1) worldwide missionary propaganda (see Revelation 14:6, 7; Matthew
24:14), and (2) worldwide atheistic propaganda (see 2 Peter 3:3-6). The
two movements are diametrically opposed. The gospel of Christ is the
basis of the first; the evolutionary theory is the basis of the second. The
theory of evolution is not new. It was taught more than two thousand
years ago. It became the foundation of Greek philosophy, although it w s
not universally believed. Today, however, it has invaded every field o:
education and human thought. It claims to explain life and the universe
from star dust to the mind of man. Education today is permeated with

256
 lie Sealed Numb andthe InnumerableCompany
this “philosophy and vain deceit”— this “science falsely so called” (Colos-
sians 2:8; 1 Timothy 6:20). In speculating on the age of the rocks, many
nave lost sight of the Rock of Ages.
It is far more than an educational problem, however; it is a chal­
lenge to religion. Modern philosophy has tremendously affected the
physical, mental, and spiritual outlook of humankind.

Evolution not confirmed by scientific evidence

Geology does not confirm the evolutionary theory. Even Herbert
Spencer, the apostle of this philosophy, declares: “It cannot be con­
cluded with any certainty that formations in which similar organic
remains are found were of contemporaneous origin. N or can it be
safely concluded that strata containing different organic remains are
or different ages” (quoted from his famous essay “Illogical Geology”
in Illustrations o f Universal Progress, page 340).
Jesus said, “W hen the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on
the earth?” (Luke 18:8). He will have a faithful, obedient people
awaiting His return. John saw these servants of God being gathered
out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and exclaimed with
:ov, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
- o have the faith of Jesus means to have His abiding presence in our
day-by-day living. Here is a people saved by the grace of Jesus, living
by the faith of Jesus, and victorious through the power of Jesus.

T he sealed company
The redeemed of the Lord are an innumerable company, but among
them is a special group designated as “the 144,000.” (See Revelation
_:4.) This number is significant. Twelve is God’s kingdom number. In
ancient Israel there were twelve tribes, twelve rods, twelve stones gath­
ered from Jordan, twelve precious stones in the high priest’s breastplate,
etc. In the New Testament there are twelve apostles. Their names are
engraved on the twelve foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem.
The names of the twelve tribes are engraved on the twelve gates of the
city. This number twelve is mentioned seven times in the Revelation.
The circumference of the city is twelve thousand furlongs.

3 -U . D. R. 257
 Now 144,000 is the square of twelve, multiplied by a thousand.
This company is mentioned again in Revelation 14:1. In these chapters
are found many metaphorical passages, and we may lose the beautv in
this symbol by insisting on making this a literal number. The number
signifies completeness. E. W. Bullinger declares, “This number is
found in all that has to do with rule. The sun which ‘rules’ the dav.
and the moon and the stars which ‘govern’ the night, do so by their
passage through the twelve signs of the zodiac, which completes the
great circle of the heavens of 360 (12 x 30) degrees or divisions, and
thus govern the year” (Number in Scripture, page 252).

W ho are the sealed ones ?

The word Israel means “God ruled” and designates an overcomer.
(See Psalm 73:1.) Jacob received the name “Israel” after he had wres­
tled with the angel. God said, “As a prince hast thou power with Goo
and with men, and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). Only those who
have overcome are the true Israel of God. (See Romans 2:28, 29; 9:6:
Galatians 3:29; 6:15, 16.)
These tribes from which the 144,000 come cannot be the literal
tribes of Jacob, because two of the original tribes— Ephraim anc
Dan— are not even named. Both were leaders in idolatry. The tribe of
Ephraim was proud and haughty, while Dan was “a serpent by the
way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider
shall fall backward” (Genesis 49:17). Pride, criticism, and idolanr
will have no place in the kingdom of God.
Those only who are victorious over sin receive the seal of God. (See
Revelation 7:2—4.) They are victorious over the beast and his image. (See
Revelation 15:2.) They are the first fruits, first in quality, among the re­
deemed. (See Revelation 14:3, 4.) They stand with the Lamb on heavenbr
Mount Zion. (See verse 1.) They sing a song no one else can learn. (See
verse 3.) They have no guile and are without fault before the throne. (See
verse 5.) They follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes. (See verse 4.)

T he innumerable company , R evelation 7 : 9 - 1 7

The expression “after this” (Revelation 7:9) applies naturally to a
scene following the sealing of the special company. The prophet saw

258
great multitude, which no man could number,” gathered from “all na­
tions.” While this seems to indicate a different group from the 144,000,
yet they may well be included in the great multitude, for this innumerable
company “came out of great tribulation” (verse 14). Daniel speaks of “a
time of trouble, such as never was” (Daniel 12:1) during which God’s
people will be preserved. That time of trouble will burst upon the unready
world as Christ finishes His work of intercession and judgment.

When He [Christ] leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers

the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous
must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor.
The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed,
and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s
long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy,
despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked
have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of
God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn. Unshel­
tered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked
one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into
one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in
check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of
strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in
ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of
old (Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page 614).

“They shall hunger no more” (Revelation 7:16). Evidently these

have passed through the seven last plagues and have known what it is to
be hungry and thirsty and to have the discomfort of the sun when it
scorches the wicked. (See Revelation 16:8.) But through all these plagues
and convulsions of nature they have been protected. Now they are be­
yond the need of protection, and, wearing the robes of victors, “they . . .
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth” (Revelation 14:4; 7:17).
W hen God’s work of salvation is complete, what a wonderful tes­
timony it will bear to His love and grace! Even now, scattered among
all people, there are those who are endeavoring to serve God. They
are living up to all the light they have, and although they are amid

259
darkness, the Lord knows them, and in the great crisis just ahead thev
will stand firmly for the living God and His truth.

Among earth’s inhabitants, scattered in every land, there

are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Like the stars
of heaven, which appear only at night, these faithful ones will
shine forth when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness
the people. In heathen Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe
and of South America, in China, in India, in the islands of the
sea, and in all the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve
a firmament of chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst
the darkness, revealing clearly to an apostate world the trans­
forming power of obedience to His law. . . . The darker the
night, the more brilliantly will they shine.
W hat strange work Elijah would have done in numbering
Israel at the time when God’s judgments were falling upon
the backsliding people! He could count only one on the Lord’s
side. . . . The word of the Lord surprised him, “Yet I have left
me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not
bowed unto Baal” (Ellen White, Prophets and Kings, pages
188, 189).

Elijah was worried about the spiritual conditions of his day. It

seemed that he was the only one left who was serving Jehovah. But Goc
declared that things were seven thousand times better than he thought.
God has many of His children scattered around the world. They are
found in all the churches and even outside the churches. His sealing
message is speeding to every land, gathering those whose hearts are per­
fect toward Him. Clad in white robes and arrayed in the righteousness
of Christ, they stand at last a victorious host, saved by divine grace. Of
them we read, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. . . .
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16, 17).
Everyone of us can be among that group. The call is wide as the
world. “Whosever will” may come (Revelation 22:17).

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 istoiy's Pageant of Conquest anl Defeat
Having witnessed some of the fast-moving scenes connected with
the climax of history, the prophet suddenly breaks off and speaks of a
strange and awesome silence. It is like a hush before a storm, or a ten­
sion before great armies are launched in battle. W hat means this si­
lence? And what about the angel who offers incense upon the golden
altar before the throne? In the priestly services of ancient Israel we
find the answers.
Could we be transported back to the Mosaic sanctuary we would
see the daily sacrifice carried out by the priests. Every day one of them
took fire from the altar and, filling a censer, burned the incense. As
the fragrance permeated the camp it was in reality a call to prayer. But
on one particular day of the year— the great Day of Atonement— the
work was performed by the high priest alone. While he was offering
the incense upon the altar, the congregation outside the sanctuary was
engaged in solemn, soul-searching prayer. The high priest then would
fill a censer, and after offering “much incense,” he would solemnly
enter the Most Holy Place and, pausing before the sacred ark in which
rested the Ten Commandments, he would sprinkle the mercy seat
seven times with blood in a ceremonial cleansing. O n this important
day, Moses said, the whole congregation and the sanctuary itself must
"be clean from all your sins before the Lord” (Leviticus 16:30).
The Day of Atonement was also known as the day of expiation or
judgment, for on that day all the confessed sins of Israel were ceremo­
nially removed. To complete the day’s services, the scapegoat, defiled
by those sins and acting as a vehicle for their removal, was led out into
the wilderness. Several outstanding students and Bible commentators
have noted the similarity of expression in this ancient service and the
description here in Revelation 8:1-5. To mention just one, Sir Isaac
Xewton says that these events do not belong in the days when John
wrote but are a prophecy relating to the very closing days of human

261
history. W ith this we heartily agree, for the services of the Mosaic
ritual were but a foreshadowing of a greater service carried on hv
Christ, our antitypical High Priest, in a greater sanctuary, not on
earth, but in heaven.
In ancient Israel the religious year began in the ceremonial Pass-
over Feast and the offering of the wave sheaf, and the Feast of First
Fruits, or Pentecost. These typified our Lord’s death, His resurrec­
tion, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the autumn came the
Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles-
and, every fifty years, the jubilee. These foreshadowed events con­
nected with the climaxing of our Lord’s high-priestly ministry and
His return in glory. The Day of Atonement in ancient Israel was or
particular significance, for it represented the pre-Advent judgment
when the cases of all human beings will be settled for eternity.
From the study of related prophecies we are confident that we are
now living in the anti typical day of atonement, or day of judgment.
The attitude of God’s ancient people as they searched their souls and
confessed their sins should be the attitude of His people today. If the
typical Day of Atonement, or judgment, was important to them, hov
much more is the antitypical day of judgment for us? So long as the
high priest was performing his work of intercession in the sanctuary' of
old, the opportunity of getting right with God was theirs. But when the
high priest came out of the sanctuary it was too late to make confession.
Those refusing to confess were banished from the congregation.
We learn much from that typology, for Jesus Christ, our heavenlv
High Priest, is still making intercession for us in the heavenly sanctu­
ary. How wonderful to know He can be touched with the feelings of
our infirmities. He is neither deaf nor indifferent. O ur prayers come
up before Him as sweet incense, and He delights to take our poor
praises and petitions and mingle them with His spotless righteousness
that they may be acceptable at the throne of grace.
No matter what the conditions in our world—war, calamity, or
spiritual declension— the child of God can still have fellowship with
Him in prayer. The great pre-Advent judgment where our Lord is
both Advocate and Judge is now in session. But soon it will close, and
just as ancient Israel’s priest came out of the earthly sanctuary on the

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 H ifty's Pageant of Conquest and Defeat
typical Day of Atonement, or day of expiation, so will our great High
Priest during this antitypical day of atonement conclude His work of
ministry. Then, summoning every angel in glory, He will descend the
darning skies as King of kings and Lord of lords. All these great truths
are implied in John’s description in the first five verses of chapter 8.
They actually belong to the preceding prophecy. The division of
the Bible into chapters and verses was to help the reader in locating
Scripture references and was the work of later scholars. The divisions
are, therefore, not part of the inspired writing, and sometimes they
come in unfortunate places. This is one of them, for it is self-evident
that these opening verses belong to the preceding chapter.
Now we come to the great prophecy of the seven trumpets, one of
the most arresting portions of G od’s Word. It unfolds history from
the military aspect, revealing the great international movements which
so definitely affected the church and her witness for Christ. Like other
prophecies, it climaxes in the coming of our Lord in glory, for with
the seventh and last trumpet blast the world and its affairs are brought
to an end. (See Revelation 11:15.) This prophecy established the Ad­
vent message.
The empire of Rome was ruling when this great panorama was
opened to the apostle John. The rule of Rome was autocratic and at
dmes brutally cruel and unjust, yet strangely enough, the Christians
of that time were praying for her continuance, for they understood
from the writings of both Daniel and Paul that the collapse of the
empire would mark the time for the appearance of the dreaded anti­
christ. But Rome was so corrupt that it was impossible for her to
continue. Like the empires that preceded her, she at last fell and found
herself on the rubbish heap of history. Any nation that defies God and
corrupts her people is doomed. Rome’s subsequent division was clearly
prophesied by Daniel. The prophetic symbols of the seven trumpets
show how the empire broke up.

Significance of the first trumpet , R evelation 8:7

Anciently, the trumpet was used to summon great gatherings as in
Israel (see Leviticus 23:24) or to herald the approach of disaster or war.
So the prophecy of the seven trumpets unfolds seven great warnings;

263
the first four telling of the collapse of Western Rome; the next two, the
overthrow of Eastern Rome; and the seventh, the last, revealing the
collapse of all human government, when the kingdom of eternal peace
will be ushered in.
The first great judgment that fell on Western Rome came from
Alaric, a man who had been an officer in the Roman army. He unitec
the powerful Germanic peoples and led the first invasion of Rome.
The death of Theodosius, the Roman emperor, occurred in Januarv.
a .d . 395, and before the end of the winter the Goths, under Alaric.
were in arms. After several years of ravaging the eastern empire, thev
crossed the Danube and came like a hailstorm from the Alps, thus
answering the apocalyptic description. The city of Rome fell to this
plundering invader in a .d . 410. The blast of this first trumpet, which
shook the empire to its foundation, was represented by “hail” and
“fire” and “blood,” a dramatic description of the terrible slaughter
that followed the invasion by the Goths. For six days the armies of
Alaric pillaged the palaces, carrying off gold and silver plate, furniture,
and priceless statuary. After pillaging the city, he went down to south­
ern Italy and was later buried, with much of his treasure, in the bot­
tom of a river. The slaves who buried him were all slain, so the place
of that burial remains a secret.

T he second trumpet sounds , R evelation 8:8, 9

This second trumpet describes a maritime war. It was as if “a great
mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea” (verse 8). The Van­
dals invaded Rome from Africa through the Mediterranean. Their
ambitious leader possessed no scruples. Once in the waters of the
Mediterranean, Genseric set his heart on Rome. In the year 455 he
sailed into the mouth of the Tiber, pillaged the city, and took thou­
sands of citizens prisoner, including the empress and her two daugh­
ters. Vandalism is a word in our vocabulary today, and it comes to us
with all these implications. The fleet of Rome, thirteen hundred ships,
far outnumbered the fleet of the invader. Therefore the Romans en­
tered the battle with some assurance of victory. But this clever admiral
of the Vandals, under cover of darkness, towed some ships loaded
with combustibles among the ships of the Roman fleet, setting fire to

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 fa il's P a p t of Conquest d fle fe at
them. That night saw more than eleven hundred ships destroyed.
How accurate and descriptive is the divine record!

T he third trumpet sounds , R evelation 8 : 1 0 ,1 1

The next invasion was by the Huns. The star that burned like a
lamp is universally taken to be Attila, their leader. He did not attack
Rome itself, but his devastations helped in the overthrow of the
empire. Attila was a fearless, muscular pagan. His men scarified their
faces to add terror to their appearance. Each man rode one horse
and led three. The star, called “W ormwood” (verse 11), denotes the
bitter consequences of Attila’s attacks. The whole breadth of
Europe, from the Volga to the Danube, was invaded, occupied, and
desolated by the hordes of Attila, who called himself The Scourge of
God. Rushing like a blazing meteor, this bold and crafty leader
boasted that the grass would never grow where his horse’s feet had
trod. In addition to his devastation, he compelled Rome to pay a
large indemnity. The word H un to this day is a synonym for plunder
and destruction. The mighty fabric of Rome was shaken, and she
was already in a state of collapse, but still greater calamity was yet to
befall the corrupt empire.
Lest we wonder why such devastation was permitted, the prophet
tells us that “the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues
yet repented not of the works of their hands,. . . neither repented they
of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of
their thefts” (Revelation 9:20, 21).

T he fourth trumpet sounds , R evelation 8:12

W hen the fourth angel sounded, the sun, moon, and stars were
smitten. One puppet emperor after another arose, until at last a mere
boy, Romulus Augustulus, was given the Roman purple. In the year
476, Odoacer, the chief of a barbarian remnant of Attila, declared
that the name and office of the Roman emperor of the West should be
abolished. The senate bowed in submission, and so Romulus Agustulus,
the last of the Roman rulers, was dethroned. Thus, the “sun” of the
empire had set. The “moon” and “stars”— the consuls and the sen­
ate— lingered a little longer, but before another half century had

265
the first four telling of the collapse of Western Rome; the next two, the
overthrow of Eastern Rome; and the seventh, the last, revealing the
collapse of all human government, when the kingdom of eternal peace
will be ushered in.
The first great judgment that fell on Western Rome came from
Alaric, a man who had been an officer in the Roman army. He united
the powerful Germanic peoples and led the first invasion of Rome.
The death of Theodosius, the Roman emperor, occurred in January.
a .d . 395, and before the end of the winter the Goths, under Alaric.
were in arms. After several years of ravaging the eastern empire, tbev
crossed the Danube and came like a hailstorm from the Alps, thus
answering the apocalyptic description. The city of Rome fell to this
plundering invader in a .d . 410. The blast of this first trumpet, which
shook the empire to its foundation, was represented by “hail” and
“fire” and “blood,” a dramatic description of the terrible slaughter
that followed the invasion by the Goths. For six days the armies of
Alaric pillaged the palaces, carrying off gold and silver plate, furniture,
and priceless statuary. After pillaging the city, he went down to south­
ern Italy and was later buried, with much of his treasure, in the bot­
tom of a river. The slaves who buried him were all slain, so the place
of that burial remains a secret.

T he second trumpet sounds , R evelation 8:8, 9

This second trumpet describes a maritime war. It was as if “a great
mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea” (verse 8). The Van­
dals invaded Rome from Africa through the Mediterranean. Their
ambitious leader possessed no scruples. Once in the waters of the
Mediterranean, Genseric set his heart on Rome. In the year 455 he
sailed into the mouth of the Tiber, pillaged the city, and took thou­
sands of citizens prisoner, including the empress and her two daugh­
ters. Vandalism is a word in our vocabulary today, and it comes to us
with all these implications. The fleet of Rome, thirteen hundred ships,
far outnumbered the fleet of the invader. Therefore the Romans en­
tered the battle with some assurance of victory. But this clever admiral
of the Vandals, under cover of darkness, towed some ships loaded
with combustibles among the ships of the Roman fleet, setting fire to

264
 Histoif's Pageant of ta p e s ! anil Defeat
them. That night saw more than eleven hundred ships destroyed.
How accurate and descriptive is the divine record!

T he third trumpet sounds , R evelation 8 : 1 0 ,1 1

The next invasion was by the Huns. The star that burned like a
lamp is universally taken to be Attila, their leader. He did not attack
Rome itself, but his devastations helped in the overthrow of the
empire. Attila was a fearless, muscular pagan. His men scarified their
faces to add terror to their appearance. Each man rode one horse
and led three. The star, called “W ormwood” (verse 11), denotes the
bitter consequences of Attila’s attacks. The whole breadth of
Europe, from the Volga to the Danube, was invaded, occupied, and
desolated by the hordes of Attila, who called himself The Scourge of
God. Rushing like a blazing meteor, this bold and crafty leader
boasted that the grass would never grow where his horse’s feet had
trod. In addition to his devastation, he compelled Rome to pay a
large indemnity. The word H un to this day is a synonym for plunder
and destruction. The mighty fabric of Rome was shaken, and she
was already in a state of collapse, but still greater calamity was yet to
befall the corrupt empire.
Lest we wonder why such devastation was permitted, the prophet
tells us that “the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues
vet repented not of the works of their hands,. . . neither repented they
of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of
their thefts” (Revelation 9:20, 21).

T he fourth trumpet sounds , R evelation 8 :1 2

W hen the fourth angel sounded, the sun, moon, and stars were
smitten. One puppet emperor after another arose, until at last a mere
boy, Romulus Augustulus, was given the Roman purple. In the year
476, Odoacer, the chief of a barbarian remnant of Attila, declared
that the name and office of the Roman emperor of the West should be
abolished. The senate bowed in submission, and so Romulus Agustulus,
the last of the Roman rulers, was dethroned. Thus, the “sun” of the
empire had set. The “m oon” and “stars”— the consuls and the sen­
ate— lingered a little longer, but before another half century had

265
passed, these, too, were extinguished. Barbarian warfare was terrible,
but the overthrow of Rome was but the harvest of is own sowing. It
declined as it had arisen— by conquest. It was the coming of a vacant
night, spoken of by historians as the Dark Ages.
Western Rome had collapsed. “Woe, woe, woe,” cried the angel
(verse 13), because the next three trumpets were yet to be sounded.

T he fifth trumpet sounds , R evelation 9 :1 -1 1

Eastern Rome is the focal point of interest under the fifth and
sixth trumpets. No more descriptive prophecy can be found in all the
Bible. The blast of the fifth trumpet was fulfilled in the rise and prog­
ress of the Arabs. Arabia has been called “the pit of the abyss,” because
of its deserts and empty areas. It was here that Mohammedanism
arose and spread like “a smoke” (Revelation 9:2). This false and fa­
natical faith threatened at one time to obscure the light of the gospel.
The Saracenic invasion could be described in no better language than
is used here. Like a horde of locusts out of the smoke, Mohammedan­
ism swept on. The “star” (verse 1) to whom the key was given well
describes the prophet Mohammed. But, although fanatical, they were
not plun derers like the conquerors of Western Rome.
W hen the Arabian tribes gathered for the conquest of Syria, a .d .
632, Mohammed’s uncle, Abu Bekr, who succeeded the prophet after
his death, gave this following order, which fits the Bible prophecy
exactly:

W hen you fight the battles of the Lord, acquit yourselves

like men, without turning your backs; but let not your victory
be stained with the blood of women or children. Destroy no
palm trees, nor burn any fields of corn. Cut down no fruit
trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only such as you kill to
eat. [See Revelation 9:4.] W hen you make any covenant or
article, stand to it, and be as good as your word. As you go on,
you will find some religious persons who live retired in mon­
asteries and propose to themselves to serve God that way: let
them alone, and neither kill them nor destroy their monaster­
ies: and you will find another sort of people, that belong to the

266
 synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns; be sure you
cleave their skulls, and give them no quarter till they either
turn Mahommetans or pay tribute (Edward Gibbon, The His­
tory o f the Decline and Fall o f the Roman Empire, ch. 51, par.
10).

Note the accurate description of these conquerors in Revelation

9:7-9. “Their faces were as the faces of men.” (They wore beards.)
“They had hair as the hair of women.” (Their hair was long.) They had
“crowns like gold.” (These stately warriors wore a brilliant headdress
or turban.) “Their teeth were as the teeth of lions.” (They were fearless
fighters.) “The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared
unto battle.” (The Arabian horse is still a synonym of quality among
equestrians, while skill in horsemanship is an Arabian art.) How ac­
curate is God’s Word! They would “hurt men five months” (verse 10).
For hundreds of years, the Mohammedan and Tatar tribes were di­
vided into bands under separate leaders with little or no organization.
Near the close of the thirteenth century, O thman founded a govern­
ment, which ever since has been known as the Ottoman Empire. This
grew until it extended over all the principal Mohammedan tribes,
consolidating them into one monarchy.
“They had a king over them, . . . whose name in the Hebrew
tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon”
(verse 11). These two names denote the character of the people. Abad­
don means “the destroyer,” and Apollyon, “one that exterminates.”
The five months is an important prophetic period that establishes pro­
phetic chronology in a marvelous way. Recognizing the well-proved
principle in prophetic chronology that a day represents a year, we
have the following: Five months of 30 days each would mean 5 x 30,
or 150 days. But reckoning a “day for a year” (Numbers 14:34;
Ezekiel 4:6), this period of 150 prophetic days become 150 literal
years during which the Ottoman Empire would hurt and destroy
men. The historian Edward Gibbon says, “It was on the twenty-seventh
of July, in the year twelve hundred and ninety-nine of the Christian
Era, that Othman first invaded the territory of Nicomedia; and the
singular accuracy of the dates seems to disclose some foresight of the

267
rapid and destructive growth of the monster” ( The History o f the De­
cline and Fall o f the Roman Empire, ch. 64, par. 14). Starting from this
date, we count 150 years, and this brings us to a.d . 1449. During
these 150 years the Ottoman Empire engaged in almost continual
warfare against the Greek Empire. The Ottomans did not conquer the
Greeks until 1499, when the last of the Greek emperors, Constantine,
took the throne, but only after seeking permission of the sultan of the
Ottoman Empire!— a striking fulfillment of prophecy that they should
hurt men for 5 months, or 150 years. Their increased power, now,
would enable them “to slay” (Revelation 9:15) under the next trum­
pet, which they did until their decline.

T he sixth trumpet sounds , R evelation 9 :1 2 -2 1

This particular portion of the Revelation became a subject of in­
tense study during the great Advent awakening of 1830-1844. The
accuracy and drama of its fulfillment led to the conversion of more
than one thousand infidels. W hen the sixth trumpet sounded, John
declared that four angels were loosed which were bound to the great
river Euphrates. (See verse 4.) This expression, scholars have believed,
refers to the four leading sultanies, Aleppo, Iconium, Damascus, and
Baghdad, which comprised the Ottoman Empire. They were situated
in the region of the Euphrates River. They were to be loosed for a
specific period: an hour, a day, a month, and a year. Before making
this remarkable calculation, let us notice verse 17: “And thus I saw the
horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of
fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were
as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke
and brimstone.” Could language more accurately describe the Turk­
ish horsemen as they rode to battle clad in uniforms of red and blue
and yellow?— “fire,” “jacinth,” (or hyacinth), and “brimstone.”
It was the Ottoman Turk who largely introduced firearms into
warfare. These old-time cavalrymen fired their muskets from their
hips as they rode along, and to the prophet it would appear as if
smoke were issuing from the horses’ mouths. The stories of conquests
by the Turks have filled many volumes. Rising like a mighty tide,
these fanatical followers of Mohammed spread from country to coun-

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 t a il's Pageant si Conquest and Defeat
try, threatening to submerge all Europe. But this phenomenal rise has
been eclipsed only by the speed of their decline. The Turk lost his
possessions slice by slice, until, in 1838, trouble broke out between
the sultan and Mehemet Ali, pasha of Egypt. Foreign intervention,
however, for a time prevented war. But peace was not to last long, for
the following year, when hostilities again broke out, the sultan’s army
was entirely cut up and destroyed, while his fleet was captured and
taken to Egypt.
It appeared certain that Constantinople would became an Egyp­
tian possession. Elelpless and hopeless, the sultan appealed to Europe
for help. A conference was called in London among England, Russia,
Austria, and Prussia, with Effendi Bey Likgis as mediator for the O t­
toman power. An ultimatum was drawn up to be presented to Egypt
in the year 1840. Now notice this prophet’s measurement— “a day,
and a month, and a year” (verse 15). This was the period given to this
power. As already mentioned, the five-month period associated with
the previous trumpet commenced in 1299, according to Gibbon, and
ended in 1449. Still calculating a day for a year and recognizing that
a prophetic month is thirty days, let us make this further calculation:
One day equals 1 year; 1 month equals 30 years; 1 year equals 360
years. This totals 391 years. Reckoning from the summer o f 1449, the
391 years will bring us to the summer of 1840. As already mentioned,
it was on July 27, 1299, that O thman invaded Nicomedia. This began
the previous measurement of 150 years. Now let us add the last frac­
tion of the measurement— the “one hour.” An hour is one-twenty-
fourth part of a day. This fractional part of a year is fifteen days. Add­
ing fifteen days brings us to August 11, the day the fog lifted allowing
the ships to enter the harbor.
It is significant that, following the London conference already re­
ferred to, the sultan dispatched Rifat Bey as plenipotentiary to Alex­
andria to communicate the ultimatum to the pasha. At the same time
the great powers pledged themselves to be ready to take any steps they
might deem necessary in the event of further hostilities. It is recorded
that on the very day, August 11, the ultimatum reached Alexandria.
How accurate is the finger of prophetic time! But where was the sul­
tan’s independence? Gone! As a sick man, he virtually collapsed into

269
the friendly arms of the great powers of Europe, and from that dav
until 1917, when the last of the sultans fled in terror from his capital,
the Turk was styled The Sick Man of the East.
This remarkable fulfillment of prophecy had a tremendous effect
upon the public mind at the time. The evidence was inescapable. Two
years prior to this time, Josiah Litch of Philadelphia published his
interpretation of this prophecy, in which he took the unqualified po­
sition that the Ottoman Empire would fall in August 1840. It seemed
a bold thing to do, especially in the face of a growing infidelity and
rationalism. His statement is arresting:

But when will this power be overthrown? According to

the calculations already made that the five months ended
1449, the hour, fifteen days; the day, one year; the month,
thirty years; and the year, three hundred and sixty years; in
all—three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days, will
end in a .d . 1840, sometime in the month of August (Josiah
Litch, The Probability o f the Second Coming o f Christ About
a .d . 1843, page 157).

A short time before the event, Litch even went so far as to declare
it would be the eleventh day of August. His views on the Ottoman
question were noted in public journals, and various infidel clubs dis­
cussed his views, ridiculing the man for having the audacity to make
such a claim. He was a deep student of both history and prophecy and
became a fearless champion of the cause of Christ, declaring that the
future would vindicate the veracity of God’s Word. It did! W hen the
news of the collapse of the sultan’s empire was flashed to the unbeliev­
ing world, it was startling. Moreover, some of the very ones who had
ridiculed now renounced their rationalism. W ithin a few months, it is
reported Litch “received letters from more than one thousand promi­
nent infidels, some of them leaders of infidel clubs, in which they
stated they had given up the battle against the Bible and had accepted
it as God’s revelation to man.” Some expressed themselves in such
words as these: “We have said that expositors of prophecy quote from
the musty pages of history to substantiate their claims of prophetic

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 History's Pageant ol Conquest and Defeat
fulfillments, but in this case we have the living facts before our eyes.”
These two prophetic periods, the 150 years and the 391 years,
connected with the fifth and sixth trumpets, are differently applied,
but always they are associated with this same Mohammedan power.
From the time the prophet Mohammed began his public preaching in
a . d . 612, to the founding of the city of Baghdad by Al-Mansur in a . d .

762, is 150 years. This city, made famous in English literature by the
Arabian Nights, was called Dar es Salaam, “house of peace,” or “city
of peace,” and it marks the termination of the spread of the Arabian
Empire.
And it is also significant that from 1453, which marks the fall of
Constantinople, the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, and the estab­
lishment of the Ottomans, until the hour of God’s judgment began in
1844, is exactly 391 years
“The second woe is past,” declared the voice in heaven, “and, be­
hold, the third woe cometh quickly” (Revelation 11:14). Between the
end of the sixth and the sounding of the seventh trumpet, a great
movement was to arise through which God is to carry the message of
the everlasting gospel to all the world. This will be explained in the
next chapter, on Revelation 10.

T he seventh trumpet sounds , R evelation 11:15

W ith the sounding of the seventh trumpet the mystery of God is
finished and “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of
our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (verse
15). O long-expected day of glory! O welcome voice that declares the
mystery of God finished and ushers in the eternal reign of righteous­
ness! Saints, apostles, patriarchs, and martyrs have all alike been look­
ing for the dawning of that day. It cannot be far distant, for with the
closing of the sixth trumpet, or the second woe, the seventh trumpet,
or the “third woe cometh quickly” (verse 14). It will be a day of deliv­
erance to the people of God.
W hen the elders, seated on their thrones, hear the sound of voices
in heaven declaring that the kingdoms of this world are given over to
Christ, they fall on their faces in worship, saying, “We give thee
thanks, O Lord God Almighty, . . . because thou hast taken to thee

271
thy great power” (verse 17). It is the time “that thou shouldest give
reward unto thy servants the prophets,” they exclaim, “and to the
saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great” (verse 18). It is
also a time of terrible judgment upon the despisers of His grace when
God will “destroy them which destroy [or “corrupt,” margin] the
earth” (verse 18). “The nations were angry,” declare the elders. How
true! We see the results of their anger in the blood-soaked cities where
ghastly ruins mark the awful march of war. The words of Jesus as re­
corded in Tuke 21:26 are certainly true today: “M en’s hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on
the earth.”
But this mighty panorama shows us where we are; we are almost
home. The very things we see are but the omens of the coming day of
triumph. The work of the gospel will soon be finished. Some day not
distant, the last sermon will be preached, the last invitation given, and
then it will be too late to accept salvation. The saddest words in all the
Bible are these: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are
not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).
But as Christians we need not fear the tragedies of our time. If the
peace of God that passeth all understanding fills our hearts and we are
walking with our Tord in sacrifice and service, then we can confi­
dently look for His appearing, knowing we shall be received of Him
when He appears in glory. W ith John the revelator we can say with
confidence, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

272
 ib Anael With the Open Book
Like chapter 7, this prophecy also is parenthetical. It falls between the
sixth trumpet of chapters 8 and 9 and the seventh trumpet of chapter
11:15. It gives another picture of God’s last message to the world before
the second coming of Christ. When the seventh angel sounds, “the king­
doms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord” (Revelation
11:15). But he is restrained from blowing his trumpet until the sealing
work is accomplished. This work is pictured in Revelation 7:1-3.

T he mighty angel
Six times in the Revelation a heaven-sent message is symbolized
by an angel. But the description of this angel is more glorious than the
others. “His face was as it were the sun” (Revelation 10:1). The simi­
larity to the description of Christ in 1:13-16 leads many to believe
that this angel must be Christ. W hen transfigured before the disciples,
"his face did shine as the sun” (Matthew 17:2). He is called “the mes­
senger of the covenant” (Malachi 3:1) and “the Angel which redeemed
me” (Genesis 48:16).

T he rainbow and the cloud

A rainbow, or, more accurately, the rainbow (see Revelation 4:3),
glows about His head, a token of His covenant of love. The “cloud” is
also a token of Deity. Clouds and glory covered Him at Sinai. “Clouds
[are] his chariots” (Psalm 104:3).
This mighty Angel’s standing on both the land and the sea indi­
cates that the message He brings is for all the world. Thus in pro­
phetic pictures John gives us the beginning of a world movement.

T he open book
The language suggests that the little book had not always been
open. The message symbolized by this angel unsealed the book to

273
permit the study of its message. W hat book could it be? There seems
only one answer, for as far as is recorded the only part of Scripture
closed, or sealed, was a portion of the book of Daniel. The prophet
was told definitely to “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4, 9). Since it was closed up only till
the time of the end, it naturally follows that at the time of the end it
would be opened.

It was not given him [Daniel] to understand all that God

had revealed of the divine purpose. “Shut up the words, and
seal the book,” he was directed concerning his prophetic writ­
ings; these were to be sealed “even to the time of the end.”
“Go thy way, Daniel,” the angel once more directed the faith­
ful messenger of Jehovah; “for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end. .. . Go thou thy way till the end
be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the
days.”
As we near the close of this world’s history, the prophecies
recorded by Daniel demand our special attention, as they re­
late to the very time in which we are living. W ith them should
be linked the teachings of the last book of the New Testament
Scriptures. Satan has led many to believe that the prophetic
portions of the writings of Daniel and of John the revelator
cannot be understood. But the promise is plain that special
blessing will accompany the study of these prophecies. “The
wise shall understand,” was spoken of the visions of Daniel
that were to be unsealed in the latter days (Ellen White,
Prophets and Kings, pages, 547, 548).

Daniel had asked, “How long shall it be to the end of these won­
ders?” (verse 6). The angel, in giving the answer, spoke about the scat­
tering of the holy people. That seemed strange to him, and he says, “I
heard, but I understood not” (verses 7, 8). It was not possible, when
Daniel wrote, for him to understand, because certain events must oc­
cur first. But at “the time of the end,” he was assured, some would
understand. (See verses 8-10.)

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 Tlie Angel Witti the Open Book
T he time of the end of D aniel’s prophecy
The prophetic expression “the time of the end” (verse 9) is not the
end of time. It refers to the end of the 1,260-year period of papal su­
premacy which lasted from a .d . 538 to 1798. And, true to the predic­
tion, when the prophetic period of 1,260 years terminated, students
of Bible prophecy in many lands began simultaneously, and without
any collusion, to concentrate on the study of the 2,300-day prophecy
in Daniel 8 and 9. (See The Prophetic Faith o f Our Fathers, by L. E.
Froom, vol. 3, pages 263—277.)
The prophecy of these chapters concerns two periods of time, that
is, the 70 weeks and the 2,300 days. Jewish scholars since before the
time of Christ were interpreting the 70-week prophecy. John the Bap­
tist, Israel’s greatest reformer, came with a definite message relating to
time. He applied these Messianic prophecies to Christ, declaring that
"the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” (John
1:29) was none other than Jesus. John’s forceful interpretations of
prophecy made him the herald of the Messiah. Jesus said, “There hath
not arisen a greater than John” (Matthew 11:11).

C alculating the 70 weeks of D aniel

W hen Jesus began to preach, He declared: “The time is fulfilled”
(Mark 1:15). The fulfillment of the 70-week prophecy revealed con­
clusively that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. He was “cut off’ (Daniel
9:26) exactly in the midst of the last prophetic week. He was to “con­
firm the covenant with many for 1 week [7 years]: and in the midst of
the week [after 3 1/2 years] he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to
cease” (verse 27). By His death, our Lord brought to an end the whole
sacrificial service of the Old Testament. The 70-week prophecy began
with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. (See verse 25.) This decree was
issued in 457 b .c . (See Ezra 7:11-26.) This date, disputed by some,
has been confirmed by sound scientific proofs. (See The Chronology o f
Ezra 7, by S. H. Horn and L. H. Woods.)
Sixty-nine of those prophetic weeks, or 483 literal years, will bring
us down to the Messiah. The decree for rebuilding Jerusalem having
gone forth in 457 b .c ., it is easy to determine when the period of 69
weeks, or 483 years, would terminate. In calculating b .c . dates, we

275
must subtract. So, 483 years from the date 457 b .c . will bring us actu­
ally to a .d . 27. Jesus was indeed baptized in a .d . 27, and in that year
He began His ministry. His message, like that of John, was: “The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe
the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Just 3 1/2 years later, or a .d . 31, “the m idst
of the week,” Jesus was crucified.
There were still 3 1/2 years left of that last prophetic week. Wha:
do we find? The church in Jerusalem preached the gospel of Chris:
unhindered for 3 1/2 years. Then in a .d . 34, Stephen, the first Chris­
tian martyr, met his death. At that time there was a great persecution
against the church that was at Jerusalem, and its members were all
scattered abroad. The believers then began to give the gospel in ear­
nest to the Gentiles. Saul of Tarsus was converted that year, a .d . 34,
and he became the great missionary to the Gentile world. This
prophecy o f the 70 weeks proves beyond question the messiahship
of Jesus.
It is interesting to note in passing that Jewish teachers and rabbis
have for centuries been forbidden to teach and interpret this prophecv.

In 1656, a dispute occurred in Poland between some dis­

tinguished Jewish rabbis and the Catholics respecting the sev­
enty weeks. The rabbis were so hard pushed by the argument
that proved Jesus to be the Messiah, the time of His sufferings
being at the end of the seventy weeks, that they broke up the
discussion. The rabbis then held a meeting and pronounced a
curse upon any Jew who should attempt to ascertain the chro­
nology of the prophetic period. Their anathema was this:
“May his bones and his memory rot who shall attempt to
number the seventy weeks” ( The Midnight Cry, August 10,
1843).

Ihese events concerning the sacrifice of Christ and the establish­

ment of the church, however, not only terminated the 70-week proph­
ecy, they also sealed up the vision of the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14
and 9:24. The purpose of this 70-week, or 490-year, prophecy was to
establish and clarify the vision of the 2,300 days that Daniel did not

276
understand. (See Daniel 8:27; 9:23.) The time for the commence­
ment of the 70 weeks, or 490 years, is the same as for the 2,300 days
or years. Both periods began in the “seventh year of Artaxerxes the
king” (Ezra 7:7), or 457 b .c . The 490 years were a period “deter­
mined,” “shortened,” or “cut off’ from the longer period of 2,300
years. (See Daniel 9:24.) Subtracting 490 from 2,300 leaves a remain­
der of 1,810 years. Now add this remainder, 1,810, to the date a .d .
34, which is the terminal date for the 490 years, and you are brought
to the significant date 1844. W hat happened then? This was the year
when our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, the Goel, or Redeemer, of
the lost inheritance, lifted the fast-closed title deeds, opened the books,
and began the closing phase of His ministry. Those marvelous events
of Revelation chapter 5 were fulfilled at the termination of the 2,300
years, or in 1844. While almost every Bible writer deals with the judg­
ment and its effects, yet Daniel is the only prophet who locates the
actual time when this work began.

T he prophecy unsealed
So long as his prophecy was sealed and that portion of his book
closed, men were unable to fully understand or interpret the message
of the judgment. But with the overthrow of papal domination in
1798, men began to study this prophecy of the 2,300 days, or years,
with a keen desire to understand it. Daniel’s prophecy declared that
the people of God would understand it; and they did. The unfolding
of this great prophecy led multiplied thousands to the conviction that
the coming of the Tord was very near, and thousands began to pro­
claim the message of the soon returning Savior. The great religious
awakening of the nineteenth century resulted from this intensive
study. Nothing since apostolic days has caused a greater interest in
spiritual things, except for the Reformation of the sixteenth century.

“T ake it [the little book], and eat it up ” (Revelation 10:9)

Basing their conclusions on the prophecy of the 2,300 days, hun­
dreds of preachers in Europe, America, and many other lands predicted
the literal return of Christ in or about the year 1844. Among these
preachers were many leaders of the Congregationalists, Methodists,

277
Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, etc. It was a heart-stirring mes­
sage and appealed to the most spiritual of the congregations. Ther
eagerly devoured the message. Like Jeremiah of old, they could sav,
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto
me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” Qeremiah 15:16).
The angel with uplifted hand in the attitude of an oath was star­
tling. He said that “there should be time no longer” (Revelation 10:6 .
Prophetic time had reached its end. N o chronological prophecy would
extend beyond that time. And actually those who were interpreting
the 2,300-year prophecy were declaring that time would be no longer.
They fully expected the Lord to come in 1844 or near that time. The
central theme of their message was the imminent return of Christ.
The announcement of the angel in Revelation 10, however, was no-
concerning the end of literal time, but rather the end of prophetic
time. The year 1844 marks the termination of the 2,300-day proph­
ecy, since which time the world has been living in what might be
called “borrowed time.” There is no chronological prophecy in the Bib*r
that extends beyond 1844.

“ It sh a l l be in t h y m o u t h sw eet a s h o n e y ” (R e v e l a t io n 10:9)
The announcement of our Lord’s near return in glory was received
with great enthusiasm. Multitudes of the most devout Christians, es­
pecially in America and Europe, were thrilled by the message, and.
like the prophet John, they took the book and ate it up. Like the
prophet Ezekiel, they ate the roll, then went and proclaimed the mes­
sage. (See Ezekiel 3:1.) This perfectly describes the experience of ear­
nest believers at that time. Joy filled their hearts. But they were
doomed to disappointment. W hen the time arrived, and Jesus did not
appear, it was a crushing blow to their faith. W hat had been as sweet
as honey now became as bitter as gall. “It shall make thy belly bitter,'
said the angel (Revelation 10:9).
The disciples of Christ passed through a similar experience. Could
anything have been more tragic than the death of Jesus, for men who
had given up their all, believing He was the Christ? W hen they took
the form of their loved Lord from the cross, they buried their hopes
with His body in Joseph’s new tomb. But their work was not finished.

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In fact, it had hardly begun. It was after their great disappointment
that the apostles did their greatest work. O n the evening after the
Resurrection, we read that the Lord “opened . . . their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Disap­
pointments are often His appointments, and, like the disappointment
of the apostles eighteen centuries before, this great disappointment of
1844 proved to be a blessing in disguise. A greater message was yet to
be given to the world. True, some renounced their faith and turned
from the Word of God, but that very disappointment drove others to
a deeper study of the Bible.

“T hou must prophesy again before many peoples” (Revelation 10:11)

Thrilling as was the message that swept through the churches
prior to 1844, it was not the final message of God. New light was to
break upon the path of the searchers of God’s Word. A greater mes­
sage, embracing prophecies not even thought about, was to come into
rocus as the result of that study. And that message in its fullness was
to be given to the whole world to prepare a people to stand in the day
of God. The command to John to “prophesy again before many peo­
ples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” (verse 11), was prophetic
of the church, which, following the Great Disappointment, was to
hasten to the earth’s far ends with a message for all, kings and peasants
alike.

“R ise, and measure the temple” (R evelation 11:1)

Again the command comes to John and is prophetic of the re­
newed study of the prophecies on the part of those earnest searchers
ror truth. The prophet’s attitude and response to these mighty unfold­
ings has been, and is again, emblematic of the attitude of the true
church of God when these events became history. The discouraged
worshipers after the passing of the date 1844 were to arise and shine,
for new light had come, and the glory of the Lord was to be upon
them. (See Isaiah 60:1.) And that light was a mightier message that
would illumine the whole world with its glory. (See Revelation 18:1.)
It would shine forth in its brilliance in the darkest hour of human his­
tory. (See Isaiah 60:2.)

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 Since 1844, God’s last message, greater in scope and power, has
been hastening on to the earth’s far ends. The “everlasting gospel'
(Revelation 14:6) is being proclaimed in the setting o f the judgment-
hour message, and it is being preached in nearly every language on
earth.

“T h e m ystery o f G o d s h o u l d b e f in is h e d ” (R e v e l a t io n 10:7)
The mystery of God is the gospel of Jesus Christ. (See Ephesians
6:19.) It is embodied in His person and His work. Paul speaks of it as
“the mystery of his will” (Ephesians 1:9). “Great is the mystery of
godliness,” he exclaims (1 Timothy 3:16). The purpose of the gospel
is to take out a people for His name. (See Acts 15:14.) And they are
being hastily gathered from every nation under heaven. (See Revela­
tion 14:6.)
God’s last message that gathers out the people who are to stand in
the final days of earth’s history is a message that embraces every trim
o f every reformation o f every age. Here is God’s true plan for the union
of the churches. If men would come together with open minds deter­
mined to know the will of God and a readiness to obey His Word,
then His message of truth would unite us all, for it centers truly in a
crucified, risen, ministering, and soon-coming Savior.

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 the feh ipers and the Power

This chapter is really a consummation of the prophecy of chap­

ter 10. After the prophet had eaten “the little book,” which seemed
sweet at first, but which later became bitter, he was told to prophesy
again before many peoples and even before kings. (See Revelation
10: 11.)
Then said the angel, “Rise, and measure the temple of God, and
the altar, and them that worship therein” (Revelation 11:1). The
temple here mentioned cannot be the church, for the expression
'them that worship therein” must refer to the worshipers. Neither
could it refer to the temple of Jerusalem, for that temple was de­
stroyed years before the Revelation was written, and it has never
been rebuilt. (John received this vision about a .d . 96, and the Jew­
ish temple was destroyed by Titus in a . d . 70. In any case, the whole
Mosaic service was only “a shadow of good things to come” [He­
brews 10:1] and had met its fulfillment in Christ, His sacrifice, and
His priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary.) But at the time this
prophecy was applied (1844), the eyes of the worshipers were espe­
cially directed to the ministry of Jesus as our great High Priest in
neaven, in “the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not
man” (Hebrews 8:2).

In t e r n a t io n a l e v e n t s g iv e n e w im p e t u s t o s t u d y o f p r o p h e c y

W hen Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner by General Berthier of

France in 1798 and dominance of the church had come to its end,
that shook Europe. But when this was followed in 1840 by the vir­
tual collapse of the Ottoman Empire, it shook the world. Both these
events had been clearly foreseen by students of prophecy. The first
date, 1798, marked the termination of Daniel’s prophecy of the “time,
times, and an half’ (Daniel 12:7), or the 1,260 days, or years, of Rev­
elation 12:6, during which the apostate church would exercise her

281
power. And as has already been emphasized, the second date, 1840.
marked the termination of the prophetic periods of the “five months"
and also the “hour, and a day, and a month, and a year” (Revelation
9:5, 15) that were given to the Ottoman power. The exactitude o:
these prophecies and their fulfillments gave new impetus to the whole
study of prophecy, and this came at a time when atheism was eating
at the very vitals of Christianity.
W hat John was about to witness, and what he recorded for us, is
the battle between the Bible and atheism. This battle reached a climax
in the French Revolution. Terrible as that was, it was but a skirmish
in comparison with the battle to be waged on a worldwide scale just
before the return of Christ. The happenings of that awful revolution
have been repeated during recent decades among such groups as the
“society of the godless.” This prophecy therefore has a particular
meaning for earth’s last generation.

T h e t w o w it n e s s e s

There has been much speculation as to the identity of these wit­

nesses. Some try to make them literal, even going so far as to name
them, declaring they will be as Moses and Elijah. But the whole lan­
guage is figurative. Revelation 11:4 says, “These are the two olive trees.
and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” In
Zechariah 4:11—14, the two olive trees represent the W ord of God.
and God’s W ord is indeed a light. In Psalm 119:105, 130 David said.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,” and “The entrance of thy words
giveth light.” But the Scriptures are more than a light; they also bear
witness, or testify, of God’s grace. Jesus declared that the Old Testa­
ment Scriptures “testify [or bear witness] of me” (John 5:39). In Mat­
thew 24:14 we read, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations.”
The clearest explanation of this prophecy is that the witnesses are
the Old and New Testaments. They do indeed testify of Christ. “Ther
are they which testify of me,” Jesus said (John 5:39).

The two witnesses represent the Scriptures of the Old and the
New Testament. Both are important testimonies to the origin

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 and perpetuity of the law of God. Both are witnesses also to
the plan of salvation. The types, sacrifices, and prophecies of
the Old Testament point forward to a Saviour to come. The
Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament tell of a Saviour
who has come in the exact manner foretold by type and proph­
ecy (Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page 267).

But the prophecy declares that the witnesses were to be clothed

in sackcloth, the symbol of mourning. The Old and New Testa­
ments were practically silenced, first by the apostasy within the
church and later by the attacks of infidelity and rationalism. But
each “witness” gave the same testimony, i.e., that for 1,260 years the
apostasy would vaunt itself, but at the end of the days these Scrip­
tures would speak with new power. References from both the Old
and New Testaments covering this 1,260-year period will be found
in the next chapter.

T h e w it n e s s e s p o s s e s s p o w e r

In Revelation chapter 11, verses 5 and 6 we are told that those

who hurt these witnesses will themselves be killed and will be smitten
with the plagues and judgments of God, for these witnesses have power
over nature to shut heaven and turn the waters into blood. Moses
warned Israel that if they turned away from God, He would “shut up
the heaven, that there be no rain” (Deuteronomy 11:17). They did
turn from God, and Elijah the prophet was raised up to bring the na­
tion back to God. He commanded that there be no rain, and it did
not rain for three and a half years. (See James 5:17; 1 Kings 17 and
18.) It is significant that three and a half years measures 1,260 days,
or 1,260 years in prophecy. (A prophetic year is 360 prophetic days,
or literal years, so that three and a half prophetic years equals 1,260
literal years.)
W hen Pharaoh said to Moses, “W ho is the L o r d , that I should
obey his voice?” he challenged the very God of heaven (Exodus 5:2).
Forthwith the rivers of Egypt were turned into blood. That same power
resides in the New Testament, for one of the seven last plagues will be
the turning of the water into blood. (See Revelation 16:4.)

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M o d e r n m il it a n t a t h e is m is b o r n

The same defiant attitude seen in the ruler of ancient Egypt arose
again during the French Revolution, when for the first time in more
than two thousand years, a nation in her capacity as a kingdom mace
war on the Monarchy of heaven. By the legislature of France, the two
witnesses, the Old and New Testaments, were figuratively slain in the
streets. In 1793 the French assembly passed a decree suppressing the
Bible. O n November 11 of that year a “Grand Festival” was held in
the leading church of Paris in honor of “Reason and T ruth,” while the
authorities attending this burlesque carried out an insulting ceremo­
ny. Paris, the center of nationalism, did indeed become a spiritual
Sodom, for licentiousness seemed one of its chief characteristics. Tee
city also became a spiritual Egypt, as militant atheism hurled insuls
at the God of heaven. Such mottoes as “Crush the W retch” (meaning
Christ) were carried through the streets that ran with blood. But this
was not to last. Godless revelers may make merry for a time, but whec
men have done their worst the Almighty can always add a closing
chapter. And He always does.

T h e s l a in w it n e s s e s r e s u r r e c t e d

The prophet declared that after three and a half prophetic days, or
years, the witnesses would come to life again, and, standing on their
feet, would cause great fear to fall upon all men. Though the French
assembly had passed a decree suppressing the Bible, three years later a
decree giving toleration to the Scriptures was passed by the same as­
sembly. The resolution, however, lay on the table for six months, after
which it was taken up and passed without a dissenting vote. This was
exactly three and a half years after it had been enacted. How accurate
is God’s prophetic Word!

The church and the Bible had been slain in France from
November, 1793, till June, 1797. The three years and a half
were expended, and the Bible, so long and so sternly repressed
before, was placed in honor, and was openly the book of free
Protestantism! (George Croly, The Apocalypse o f St. John, page
183). " ................................... ....

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T he B ib l e e x a l t e d

The prophecy says, “And they [the two witnesses] ascended up to

heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:12).
The Scriptures, so vigorously suppressed by the godless, were to be
exalted in the eyes of all nations. It is significant that in 1804, almost
immediately following the French Revolution, the British and For­
eign Bible Society was organized. At that time the Scriptures were
translated into very few languages. Today the W ord of God can be
read in about eleven hundred different languages. It is estimated that
nine-tenths of the people living on earth can hear the Bible, or por­
tions of it, in their own tongue.
M ilitant atheism, however, did not end with the setting up of
the French Republic. The forces of the godless, so dominant in the
revolution, spread north and east to find a fertile soil. Even more
destitute and downtrodden than the French peasants during the
reign o f the last kings o f France was the great nation of the far north
and east. Religion to them was something that symbolized make-
believe and oppression. Is it any wonder that when that country was
plunged into political revolution in 1917, a vital part of that upris­
ing was an attack upon religion? It took about a century for the
seeds of revolution in France to reach its full fruitage in Russia.
Weishaupt of Germany, in 1776, laid the foundation of a false phi­
losophy which, in one form or another, has since spread around the
world.

M e a su r e t h e a l t a r a n d t h e w o r s h ip e r s , R e v e l a t io n 11:1
While the powers of atheism and apostate Christianity are prepar­
ing for their last assault on the church, God is sending His last warn­
ing message to every “nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people”
(Revelation 14:6). Truth, which for centuries has been repressed and
submerged by apostate teachers and blatant unbelief, is now shining
with new radiance from the W ord of God. Special attention has been
given to the study of the ministry of Jesus, our great Advocate and
Judge. Since He has been appointed by the Father to pass judgment
on every soul, it is important that every nation on earth realize that
'the hour of his judgment is come” (verse 7), so that men of every

285
language and tribe may prepare to meet their God. The attitude of our
worship is the measure of our spiritual power. “The second woe is
past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly” (Revelation
11:14).
The greatest issues of all time are before us. We are on the very
borders of the eternal world. How essential, then, that we be found
worshiping God in spirit and in truth! The last great battle is soon to
be fought— the battle between the forces of light and darkness, truth
and error. W hen the “third woe” comes, it will be forever too late to
make our peace with God. “The worldwide dissemination of the same
teaching that led to the French Revolution— all tend to involve the
whole world in a struggle similar to that which convulsed France
(Ellen White, Education, page 228). The only answer to an apostate-
atheistic world is a church on fire for God.

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 le Conflict of the Church
This is one of the most illuminating and comprehensive chapters
in the book of Revelation. Gazing in wonder as the whole panorama
moves forward, the prophet says, “And there appeared a great wonder
in heaven” (Revelation 12:1). Through the aid of divine imagery he is
swept back to witness the very inception of sin, when Lucifer chal­
lenged the throne of Deity; then on to Satan’s final conflict with
Christ’s loyal witnesses just prior to His return.
The activities of the prince of evil against the government of God
and His people are presented in this panorama. It is a drama of four
acts:
1. the origin of sin and the beginning of the controversy in heaven
2. the attack on Christ when He lived among men
3. the persecution of the church in the subsequent centuries
4. the final war on the remnant people of God
We are halfway through the book of Revelation. The chapters that
follow give remarkable details in the final struggle between the forces
of good and evil. The final victory of the church, the overthrow of
Satan and his hosts, the complete establishment of God’s kingdom
upon earth— these themes climax the Revelation.

A WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN

The gloriously arrayed woman, with the sun as her garments,
the moon as her footstool, and twelve stars for a crown, is in some
ways the most attractive of all the prophetic symbols. A woman in
prophecy represents a church. The pure, true church of God is
represented by a virtuous woman. (See Jeremiah 6:2; Isaiah 54:5.
6; Hosea 2:19, 20; John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation
19:7, 8.) The apostate, corrupt church is represented by a lewd
woman. (See Revelation 17:1-5; Jeremiah 3:1, 8; Ezekiel 16:26—
29; Isaiah 50:1.)

28 "
 Christ has only one body, His church, and this has existed in ah
ages. Ancient Israel, while being led by Moses, was spoken of as “the
church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38). There has ever been only one
chosen people, one family of the Lord, one vineyard, one bride, one
New Jerusalem. The gates of that glorious city bear the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel, while the foundations carry the names of the
twelve apostles. The whole Bible has but one story— the story of the
conflict between Christ and His enemy; between the Seed of the
woman and the dragon.

There has really been but one church upon earth, existing
through all times and under all economies. And so we have
here, as the symbol of it, this one glorious woman, in whom
all its highest excellences and chief characteristics are summed
up from the beginning even unto the great consummation
(J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, vol. 2, page 277).

We regard the woman as the symbol of God’s religious

system on earth from the beginning of His testimony until the
consummation (Davis, The Vision ofPatmos, page 178).

As Eve was created from the side of Adam during his deep sleer
(see Genesis 2:21, 22), so Christ, the Second Adam, brought Hii
bride, the church, into existence through His death and resurrection.
Only as we become members of His body, of His flesh, and of Hir
bones, are we part of the true church. (See Ephesians 5:30.)
The true church of Jesus Christ has ever been clothed with the
“Sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). Jesus Christ is also the “light of
the world” (John 8:12; 9:5). Only those who walk in harmony with
God’s W ord can be called the children of light. (See Luke 16:8; Ephe­
sians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8.)

T h e m o o n u n d e r h e r feet

The moon has no light of its own; it merely reflects the glory of
the sun. So it is also with the church. We have no light of ourselves
but merely reflect the glory of Christ, the “Sun of Righteousness/

288
This was beautifully revealed in the ancient Hebrew sanctuary service,
which was only “a shadow of good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1).
Just as coming events cast their shadows before, so the cross of Christ
cast a long shadow. It reached from Eden to Calvary.
The church is here revealed as standing on the moon, not in
disdain of the O ld Testam ent gospels o f Moses and the prophets,
but using them rather as a foundation. The everlasting gospel has
the same message for all ages. The m ethod of teaching salvation
may differ, but men and women have always been, and can now
be saved from sin by only one way, and that is by the grace of
God.
We must not confuse this with the moon goddess of pagan reli­
gions. Neither the sun, nor the moon, nor even the woman are ob­
jects of worship, but merely symbols. The woman, or the church, is
standing on the moon. In Psalm 89:34-37 the Lord declares that His
covenant and His W ord are as faithful and unaltered as the moon.
The church was established upon the W ord of God.

U p o n h e r h e a d a c r o w n o f t w e l v e star s

The crown is a symbol of royalty. The church is called “a royal

priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). As we have noted before, twelve is G od’s
kingdom number. There were twelve tribes in the Old Testament
church and twelve apostles in the New Testament church. There are
twelve foundations in the New Jerusalem and twelve gates to the city.
There will also be twelve thrones in the church triumphant. (See M at­
thew 19:27, 28; Luke 22:28-30.)

She b r o u g h t f o r t h a m a n c h il d

In Genesis 3:15 we find the first promise of the coming Redeemer.

Eve seems to have thought that Cain was the promised One. Spurrel’s
translation of Genesis 4:1 reads, “I have obtained the man Jehovah.”
But instead of being the giver of life, Cain became the taker of life.
Through all the centuries the devout children of God were looking for
die coming Savior. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4). And, true to the prophetic word,
He came as a helpless babe.

10-U. D. R. 289
T h e great red d r a g o n

The dragon is clearly stated to be the devil. (See verse 9.) But in
his attack upon God’s people he has always worked through earthi-
persecuting powers, such as ancient Egypt and pagan Rome, both of
which are represented in Scripture by this same symbol. (See Ezekiel
29:2-4.) “The pagan Romans used the image of a dragon on their
standards, as well as the eagle. These dragon standards were red. ‘The
purple standard of the dragon’ ” (Ammianus Marcellinus, History <r
the Roman Empire, bk. 16, ch. 12).
This prophecy unmasks the monster and reveals the real power
that has hidden behind such earthly kingdoms as Babylon, Tyre, anr
Rome. In Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 is found the same power. From
Eden to the end of time the slimy trail of the serpent appears. He
poisoned the stream of life at the fountainhead, and his deception of
the woman was actually an attack upon God. As the enemy of both
Christ and His church he is mentioned thirteen times in Revelation.

T h e d r a g o n w a it in g t o d e v o u r t h e C h il d

God’s promise made to Eve in Eden was cherished by His people.

But they waited long for the coming of the promised “Seed”— Christ.
(See Galatians 3:16.) The devil also waited, and at every turn he en­
deavored to thwart the plan of heaven to save the world. Many timet
he almost succeeded. Before the Flood all flesh was “corrupt,” “but
Noah found grace in the eyes of the L o r d ” (Genesis 6 : 8 ) .
Then, as the promise of the Seed was narrowed at various times,
such as to the tribe of Judah and to the family of David, there we fine
the enemy concentrating his forces. In the days of the Persians a de­
cree was passed by the dictator monarch that the Jews as a nation were
to be exterminated; but in spite of all the devil’s plots and schemes,
the plan of God was fulfilled. The New Testament opens with these
triumphant words: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the
son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). The Child was
born in spite of the overwhelming opposition of the united powers of
evil.
W hen Jesus was born, the chagon was there to attack Him. Escape
came by fleeing to Egypt. In the wilderness the dragon leaped to me

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attack, only to be defeated by the W ord of God. Then all the black
passions of hate were let loose at Golgotha. Betrayed and crucified,
the world’s Redeemer was at last buried in a rock-hewn tomb. How
evil triumphed! But only for a few hours. By His death and resurrec­
tion, Christ raided the realm of demonism and shattered the forces of
darkness.

H e r c h il d w a s c a u g h t u p u n t o G o d and to H is t h r o n e

He arose for our justification, and as King of righteousness He

now ministers at the throne of grace. (See Hebrews 4:14; 8:1; 10:12.)
Who can bring any accusation against the elect of God? As we are
justified in Christ and vindicated by His power, nothing now can
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. (See Ro­
mans 8:33, 34.)
How marvelous all this must have appeared to John! His own
persecution, the early martyrdom of his brother James, the execution
of Peter and Paul, he could now understand as he watched this un­
folding panorama. Then, so that he could comprehend the full sig­
nificance of the drama of sin and salvation, the curtain was rolled
back, and the past as well as the future was opened to his view.

T h e r e w a s w a r in h e a v e n

W ar did not begin on earth; it began in heaven. And the history

of sin is long and ugly. Sin is a mystery for whose presence no excuse
can be found. It did not originate on earth, but began in heaven when
Lucifer instigated rebellion among the angels. As leader of the heav­
enly host, he challenged the rulership of God. (See Isaiah 14:12-15.)
He was “perfect in beauty” and perfect in character “till iniquity was
found in [him]” (Ezekiel 28:12, 15). Although the most honored of
all the angelic host, he became jealous of the Creator, and, coveting
His throne, began to sow discord among the angels, thus causing re­
bellion. “God permitted him [Satan] to demonstrate the nature of his
claims, to show the working out of his proposed changes in the divine
law. His own work must condemn him. . . . The whole universe must
see the deceiver unmasked” (Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets,
page 42).

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M ic h a e l a n d H is a n g e l s f o u g h t a g a in s t t h e d r a g o n

Peter speaks of “the angels that sinned” (2 Peter 2:4). Some of the
angelic host joined Lucifer in his attack against God. These “angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,” Goc
will bring to judgment (Jude 6). John pictures the dragon as deceiving
a “third part of the stars of heaven” (Revelation 12:4). They joined the
forces of rebellion. It was a tragic day when the serpent won the alle­
giance of Adam and Eve, for this newly created earth then became the
battleground of contending forces led by two great generals, Michael
and the dragon. Until the death of Christ, Satan was the legal repre­
sentative of this world. Although he had usurped the kingdom, he was
always man’s accuser. (See Job 1:6, 9-11.) The conflict between gooc
and evil, therefore, has a far wider range than this visible earth. But sin
will come to its end on this planet. (See Ezekiel 18:18, 19.)

T h e a c c u s e r o f o u r b r e t h r e n is c a s t d o w n

This mighty spiritual combat reached a new climax when Chris:

hung upon the cross. All heaven

watched the battle between light and darkness as it waxed stron­

ger. And as Christ in his expiring agony upon the cross cried
out, “It is finished,” a shout of triumph rang through every
world, and through heaven itself. The great contest that had
been so long in progress in this world was now decided, and
Christ was conqueror. His death had answered the question
whether the Father and the Son had sufficient love for man to
exercise self-denial and a spirit of sacrifice. Satan had revealed
his true character as a liar and a murderer. It was seen that the
very same spirit with which he had ruled the children of men
who were under his power, he would have manifested if permit­
ted to control the intelligences of heaven. W ith one voice the
loyal universe united in extolling the divine administration
(Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pages 69, 70).

W hen Christ arose from the grave, He then became the rightful
representative of this world. His death reconciled the world to Goc.

292
 1 Conflict of tfie Oiurcli
and the accuser, the devil, has no more claim to it. No wonder a shout
was heard in heaven! Moreover, the inhabitants of heaven speak of the
devil as “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10, emphasis
supplied). The elders knew something of his power, for they, too, had
met him in mortal combat. The accuser and deceiver was finally cast
down from his place of usurpation, and Christ, the Second Adam,
became our Representative. (See verses 10, 12.)

W o e t o t h e in h a b it a n t s o f t h e e a r t h !

And now is revealed the underlying cause of the great struggles of

the church. The devil, knowing he has lost the battle against God, and
recognizing that his time is short, is now concentrating all his power
upon the followers of Christ. The prophet was shown this enemy of
God and man persecuting the woman— the church. Up until the time
of Christ’s death Satan was eager to get other worlds to join him in
rebellion. But now he is defeated. So he transfers all his energy to
combating the church. To escape the attacks of the enemy, she flees
to the place God has prepared for her, where she is nourished for
1,260 prophetic days, or literal years. This period is mentioned seven
times in Daniel and in the Revelation: (1) Daniel 7:25; (2) Daniel
12:7; (3) Revelation 11:2; (4) Revelation 11:3; (5) Revelation 12:6;
(6) Revelation 12:14; (7) Revelation 13:5. It began, as we have seen,
with the decree of Justinian in a . d . 538 and ended with the overthrow
of papal dominion in 1798. Secluded places, such as the Piedmont
valleys and the Alpine mountain fastnesses, even the friendly land of
young America, all became havens of refuge for the persecuted people
of God.

T h e se r p e n t c a st o u t o f h is m o u t h w a t e r

Water in prophecy represents people. (See Revelation 17:15.)

During the papal supremacy, many different peoples were used in an
endeavor to destroy the true, faithful people of God. History’s pages
are stained with the blood of bitter persecutions and ruthless massa­
cres. But all failed to destroy God’s people. On the contrary, as one
early church leader put it, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
church.”

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 Heaven rejoices in the victory of the saints over the dragon’s power.
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word o f
their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). But the prophet watches as an­
other and more subtle attempt is made to destroy the church. The
enemy casts out of his mouth a flood to carry the woman away. Truiv
a flood of false teachers steeped in evolution and human philosopbr
has arisen to oppose the truth of God. This is especially so since the
end of the 1,260 years. The water was coming from the mouth of the
serpent. W hat he failed to accomplish by armies and persecution, he
seeks to attain by an army of false educators. Lying propaganda anc
“science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20) will reach their climax in
the final battle against truth.

T he earth o pened h er m o u th

To meet this new attack, “the earth opened her m outh” (Revela­
tion 12:16). Through the centuries the earth helped the woman hr
providing a refuge for the persecuted people of God. But this new at­
tack coming from the mouth of the serpent has been overcome in
another way. As the new science of archaeology came into being, evi­
dence from the buried cities of the past began to be piled up confirm­
ing the accuracy of the Bible records. Marvelous discoveries in the
fields of archaeology, history, and geology have all substantiated and
vindicated the W ord of God. The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799.
became the key to the past. It enabled scholars to learn the ancient
Egyptian languages, thus opening the whole story of the ancients.
Thousands of discoveries have been made in substantiation of biblical
history. The earth has indeed opened her mouth, and the very stones
are crying out in the ears of this skeptical age, “Thy word is truth"
(John 17:17).

T h e d r a g o n w a s w r o t h a n d w e n t t o m a k e w a r w it h t h e r e m n a n t

Satan’s final and greatest attempt will be made on the very last
church, called in this chapter “the remnant of her seed” (Revelation
12:17). These loyal ones, obedient to “the commandments of God'
and having “the testimony of Jesus” (verse 17), stand as faithful wit­
nesses.

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 The Conflict of the Ciiurcli
From the very beginning of the great controversy in
heaven, it has been Satan’s purpose to overthrow the law of
God. It was to accomplish this that he entered upon his
rebellion against the Creator; and though he was cast out
of heaven, he has continued the same warfare upon the
earth.
. . . The last great conflict between truth and error is but
the final struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning
the law of God (Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page
582).

In every great crisis of history God has had faithful servants whose
allegiance to Him was more precious to them than life. The prophet
Isaiah, writing at a time when truth was being compromised, spoke of
those who were loyal to God as His “remnant.” (See Isaiah 37:32;
Zephaniah 3:12, 13; Micah 4:7.)
In the last great crisis of the ages, God will have a loyal “rem­
nant” who by His grace will stand for truth and righteousness.
John describes them as those that “keep the commandments of
God, and have the testimony of Jesus,” which the angel declared
“is the spirit o f prophecy” (Revelation 12:17; 19:10). Through
His W ord and the counsels o f His Spirit, God is even now prepar­
ing that rem nant to stand “in the evil day” when principalities and
powers and “the rulers of the darkness o f this w orld” will make
their last attack upon the church (Ephesians 6:12, 14; see also
2 Thessalonians 2:9-13).
It is through this remnant that God is giving His last message of
mercy to the world and revealing at the same time the machinations
of the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) whose counterfeit system of
salvation has obscured the glorious gospel of Christ and His saving
grace. The church that is “waiting for the coming of our Lord” will
“come behind in no gift,” says the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:7).
God has His servants in every land of earth. These He is gathering by
the power of the everlasting gospel as it is heralded to “every nation,
and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). This is clearly
expressed in the following quotation:

295
 Among earth’s inhabitants, scattered in every land, there
are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Like the stars
of heaven, which appear only at night, these faithful ones will
shine forth when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness
the people. In heathen Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe
and of South America, in China, in India, in the islands of the
sea, and in all the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve
a firmament of chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst
the darkness, revealing clearly to an apostate world the trans­
forming power of obedience to His law (Ellen White, Prophets
and Kings, pages 188, 189).

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 'he Beast From the Sea aal the Man
t the Mystic lumber d
How quickly the scenes change in this apocalyptic portrayal! John
still watches enraptured as the drama of the ages unfolds. As the
prophet now scans the restless sea, suddenly before his startled gaze
there arises from the water a hideous wild beast. As we have seen when
we examined the book of Daniel, that prophet also, in vision, saw
beasts arise as symbols of powerful earthly kingdoms. (See Daniel 7.)
It was the dragon power, Rome, that gave the beast of Revelation
13 its seat (Greek: thronos) and great authority. John tells us that this
beast power would utter blasphemy against God. (See Revelation 13:1,
5.) Domitian, who banished John to Patmos, issued state papers under
the blasphemous title of “Emperor Domitian, O ur Lord and Our God.”
It was this pagan power that gave the beast its authority. Let us take our
places beside John and view these tremendous scenes in the great revela­
tion of redemption as he saw them opened in heaven.

T h e bea st w it h se v e n h e a d s a n d t e n h o r n s

Some, because of the similarity of language in John’s and Daniel’s

descriptions, claim that John was only borrowing from Daniel. Actu­
ally, Daniel was looking forward into history that was yet to come. He
saw a succession of powers arising. First there was the lion kingdom
(Babylon), then the bear (Persia), then the leopard (Greece), then the
ten-horned beast (Rome). All these characteristics are embodied in this
beast of Revelation 13. It is, therefore, a composite symbol of the king­
doms of this world over which Satan has exercised his dominion.
John, who was living six hundred years later than Daniel, viewed
those same powers, but from a different perspective. He was looking
both backward and forward. Though Rome was the ruling power,
nevertheless so much of Greek civilization was preserved in the em­
pire that we speak of it as the “Greco-Roman” culture. The prophetic
symbol combines the ten-horned head of Rome with the leopard

297
body of Greece. But the beast also embodies features of the former
kingdoms of Persia and Babylon, for it had the feet of the bear (Per­
sia) and the mouth of the lion (Babylon). Both Daniel and John em­
phasized the ten horns— the subsequent divisions of Rome.

T h e d r a g o n g iv e s t h e b e a s t h is p o w e r , se a t , a n d a u t h o r it y

The dragon— “the Devil, and Satan” (Revelation 12:9)— alwav?

works through earthly kingdoms and institutions. Ancient Egypt was
likened to the dragon. (See Ezekiel 29:3.) But the application in Rev­
elation 12 is definitely to pagan Rome, the power that sought to de­
stroy the Child Jesus as soon as He was born. Pagan Rome collapsed
later and was replaced by Christianized Rome, or the papacy. The
ancient city of Rome became the capital and center of authority for
this new and growing power. In a .d . 330 Constantine left Rome to
build Constantinople, the new capital. This might be called the be­
ginning of the breakup of the empire. Constantinople later became
the capital of Eastern Rome.
Many writers reveal the way the transference from pagan Rome to
papal Rome was made. Eusebius in his Life o f Constantine declares.
“In order to render Christianity more attractive to the Gentiles, the
priests adopted the exterior vestments and ornaments used in the pa­
gan cult.”
Pope Gregory, instructing Augustine, is credited with saying.
“Destroy the idols, never the temples. Sprinkle them with holy water,
place in them relics, and let the nations worship in the places they are
accustomed to.” Cardinal Baronius is said to have made the state­
ment, “The Holy Church was permitted to appropriate the rites and
ceremonies used by the pagans in their idolatrous cult since she [the
church] expiated them by her consecration.” These are indicative o f
the attitude of the Roman Church at that time. Compromise was its
constant characteristic, while truth was tragically sacrificed on the al­
tars of form and liturgy.

P o n t if e x M a x im u s

Constantine, foreseeing the ultimate triumph of Christianity, be­

came its champion. As emperor, he was already invested with the

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 power and honors of paganism. These he did not renounce, but in­
stead brought them over into Christianity. He therefore became the
bridge uniting paganism with Christianity. H alf a century later, a.d .
375, the Christian emperor Gratian refused the pagan vestments and
the pagan title “Pontifex Maximus.” But the bishop of Rome, seeing
an opportunity to exalt his dignity, assumed the title and vestments of
Pontifex Maximus.
In an earlier chapter, we noted that pontifex comes from two Latin
words, pons (nominative) or pontis (genitive), meaning “bridge,” and
factio, meaning “I make” or factor, meaning “maker.” Maximus means
“the greatest.” Putting these meanings together, we get “The Greatest
Bridge Builder,” or “Bridge Collector,” as a toll collector. This was the
historic title of the high priest of paganism. These titles and vestments
perpetuated paganism in the church, but always under the disguise of
Christianity. A former Roman Catholic bishop, who was a professor
of church history in one of the main theological seminaries in Rome,
pointed out that one reason for acceptance of the title was that a toll
could be demanded of all who entered the city of Rome. It is claimed
that this toll collection continued until the year 1870.

666— THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

This mystic number represented a system, rather than an indi­
vidual man. The dragon, or the serpent (paganism), gave the beast
“his power, and his seat [or throne], and great authority” (Revelation
13:2).
Paganism is largely a religion of nature worship, the sun and the
moon being prominent deities. The sun is often the male deity, and
the moon is the female deity. In ancient mythology the serpent was
universally the symbol of the sun. Sun worship and serpent worship
began side by side, the sun being hailed as the source of all physical life,
and the serpent as the source of all spiritual life.
The serpent, however, was certainly not the source of spiritual life,
for the Bible declares that the serpent was the deceiver of humankind
and so robbed human beings of spiritual life. Aesculapius, ancient god
of medicine, was often represented by a serpent entwining itself
around a dead tree trunk, symbol of the restorer of life.

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 The ancients claimed that God works by mathematics. Their reli­
gion was a conglomeration of religion, astrology, alchemy, physical
and mental science, and mathematics. Ancient astrology divided the
starry heavens into thirty-six constellations. These were represented
by different amulets called Sigilla Solis, or the sun seal. These amulets
were worn by pagan priests, and they contained all the numbers from
one to thirty-six. By these figures they claimed to be able to foretell
future events. These amulets were usually made of gold, yellow being
the sun color. While being carried, these amulets were wrapped in
yellow silk, as it was thought that the bearer would thus receive be­
neficent powers believed to emanate from the jewel.
One such amulet reveals the veneration the ancients had for the
sun-god. O n the front side is a depiction of the god of the sun stand­
ing on a lion. This indicates the sun’s position in the constellation Leo
(the lion) during the hot days of August. O n the back is inscribed the
word nachyel, meaning “intelligence of the sun.” And the numerals
one through thirty-six are arranged in squares in such a way that add­
ing the numbers of any column, either horizontally or vertically, as
well as the two diagonal columns crossing the square, the total is the
same— 111. The sum of the six columns, computed either horizon­
tally or vertically is, therefore, 6 x 1 1 1 — or 666.
After the empire of Babylon fell, the whole system of Egyptian
and Babylonian mythology was transferred to Pergamos in Asia Mi­
nor. Later, it was brought over to the city of Rome. No wonder the
Lord, writing to the church in Pergamos, said, “I know thy works,
and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is” (Revelation
2:13).
The corrupting system of idolatry through which the church de­
parted from the faith is called by Paul “the mystery of iniquitv-
(2 Thessalonians 2:7) and by John, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT” (Revelation 17:5). Already working in the days of the apos­
tles, the full revelation of this apostasy was yet to be revealed. The
Babylonian mysteries, always shrouded in secrecy, have from the most
ancient times challenged God’s truth. Paul speaks of “the unfruitful
works of darkness,” declaring that “it is a shame even to speak of those
things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:11, 12).

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 l e Beast Brain the Sea and the Man With the Mystic Number BB6
W hen the Son of God was nailed to a cross it seemed as if evil had
triumphed. But our Lord “endured the cross, despising the shame”
(Hebrews 12:2), the cross being the symbol of this shameful cult.
This mystery-god mentioned by Plutarch as “the hidden god” (De
hide et Osiride, vol. 2, page 354) and by others as “the hidden system”
was worshiped under the name Saturn, which means “to lie hidden.”
In the Chaldaic or Aramaic it is spelled S-T-U-R. Chambers, in his
Book o f Days, speaks of “the festival of St. Satur, the martyr.” This
“hidden system” of shame and apostasy invaded the church in the
early centuries and has left its trail of corruption on every succeeding
generation. The true God is not hidden; He is revealed in Jesus
Christ.
Now let us note the significance of the letters S-T-U-R:

S - 200 “The Hidden God” of Babylonia

T - 60 (Aramaic language)
U - 400
R - 6
666

W hen this system was established in Rome, “City of the Seven

Hills,” Italy became the land of the mystery cults and was known for
centuries as Saturnian Land, of the Land of Mystery. Saturn was also
identical with Janus, the Grand Mediator and Opener and Shutter.
And the high priests of paganism were invested with the keys of Janus
and Cybele.

C h r is t ia n it y c h a l l e n g e s p a g a n is m

W hen the Christian church began, the simplicity of the apostolic

message was a strange contrast from the elaborate system of pagan
mysteries. That a sinner could come directly into the presence of God
and find salvation without the mediation of a whole system of priests
and incantations seemed almost too good to be true. That simple mes­
sage produced a purity of life. Men were different. They acted differ­
ently; there was a joy and peace which could not be gainsaid. Paul
spoke of “the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16) that embraced

301
the Incarnation of our Lord, His blameless life, His ascension, and
His ministry at the throne of Deity. W hat a contrast with the “mys­
tery of iniquity” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)! Apart from the gospel of
Christ, men could not have victory over sin. The Christian message was
a call out of the darkness of the whole system of pagan mysteries. “Have
no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,” wrote Paul, “for it
is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in se­
cret” (Ephesians 5:11, 12). And that was all too tragically true. The se­
cret mysteries were often a cloak for debasing immorality.
The apostles, foreseeing that the pagan system would corrupt the
simplicity of the gospel, warned the leaders of the churches. But little
by little, despite their warnings, the church suffered “a falling away”
(2 Thessalonians 2:3), and paganism became completely established
in the apostate church. That branch of Christianity, at least, became
not “the daughter of Zion,” as God’s ancient church was called, but
instead, “the daughter of paganism,” with headquarters in Rome. All
the vestments of paganism became a part of the so-called Christian
system. For example, the “keys of St. Peter” found on the papal coat
of arms and worn by the pope, the head of the system, are not the keys
of St. Peter, but are the modern counterpart of the pagan keys of Janus
and Cybele. Many of the church festivals are pagan, as for example,
the festival of St. Satur, the martyr, held on the twenty-ninth day of
March. One of the prayers in the litany of the mass is, “God hidden,
and my Saviour have mercy upon us” (W. McGavin, The Protestant,
vol. 2, page 79). Saturn was the “hidden god” of paganism. No won­
der God calls the system “MYSTERY, BABYLON TH E GREAT'
(Revelation 17:5).
Regarding the beast John saw, both the name and the number of
his name are significant to the student of the Revelation, yet only by
the wisdom of God can we know the apostate one designated. There­
fore, we seek the guidance of our God as we unfold this divine se­
cret. Accepting G od’s challenge to discover the significance of this
number, 666, we would be as those searching for the hidden things
of God, rather than as children playing with a conundrum. The
dignity of the Apocalypse, while demanding our sober search, also
demands a diligence that is rarely revealed in commentaries and

302
 ss
books written on the Revelation. This mystic number was given the
prophet John by the Holy Spirit, its secret to be revealed to those
only who possess the wisdom of God. Many names have been sug­
gested through the centuries, some too ridiculous to merit com­
ment. This had led some to bypass the issue as if it deserved no
further thought. But God says, “Tet him that hath understanding
[not the wisdom o f the serpent, but the wisdom o f God] count the
number” (Revelation 13:18). As obedient servants, we have sought
“the wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17), and our discoveries
have led to some tremendous conclusions.
By decree, the sacred language of the Roman Church has been for
centuries, not Greek or Hebrew, but Latin. W hen the pope speaks ex
cathedra, he speaks in Latin. Until relatively recently the mass was
always said in Latin. The ancient Greek word for “the Latin-speaking
man” is Lateinos, which from very early times has been recognized as
the name denoted in Revelation 13:18.

L - 30 H 0
A 1 E - 8
T - 300 “Latin-speaking man” “The Latin Kingdom”
E - 5 or Latin Church L - 30 (Greek language)
I - 10 (Greek language) A 1
N - 50 T - 300
O - 70 I - 10
s - 200 N - 50
666 E - 8

B 2
A 1
S - 200
I - 10
L - 30
E - 5
I - 10
A 1
666

303
 The com putation appearing in the second column is signifi­
cant. The Greek for “the Latin Kingdom” is H E LATINE
BASILEIA, which also numbers 666. E. B. Elliott, in his Horae
Apocalypticae, says, “But that which alone completely answers to
every requirement of the sacred enigma, and which I, therefore
fully believe to be the one intended by the Spirit is Irenaeus’s solu­
tion, LA TEIN O S” (fourth edition, vol. 3, page 233). The letter
“E” is usually om itted in the more modern spelling o f the word,
but such authorities as Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Andreas, and others
spell it as set forth here. This title has also the same numerical
significance in the Greek.
As previously mentioned, Italy was for a long time known as the
Land of Mystery or Saturnian Land. W hen the Italian branch of the
Christian church pushed its way into the ascendancy and sought con­
trol of the church universal or the Catholic Church, it became the
Roman Catholic Church or the church of Italy. And it is significant
that this name in Greek— ITALIKA EKKLfiSIA— the “Italian
Church” also counts up to 666.

I - 10 E - 5 “Italian Church”
T - 300 K - 20
A - 1 K - 20
L - 30 L - 30
I - 10 £ - 8 (Greek language)
K - 20 S - 200
A - 1 I - 10
372 A - 1
294

The head of the apostate church came into possession of a tempo­

ral kingdom when Pepin conferred upon Pope Stephen II the first
grant of the Papal States in a . d . 755. The Roman pontiff then be­
came a temporal sovereign and remained such for eleven centuries.
But he was deprived of these states in 1870 when Italy was united
by Garibaldi during the reign of King Victor Emmanuel II.
The pope, however, remained in the Vatican as a self-styled “pris-

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 i Beast FromtlieSeaand tlie Man With tlie Mystic iantiet 1
oner” until February 11, 1929, when Mussolini restored to the su­
preme pontiff a fragment of the former domains, giving him about
180 acres. That restoration made him a “king” again, and the number
of his kingdom is 666. Greek scholars have tested the names of some
400 other kingdoms, not one of which amounts in its number to the
precise value of this mystic number— 666.

P apal admissions
But 666 is also the number o f a man— the representative of the
power. (See Revelation 13:18.) The Roman Catholic Bible, the
Douay Version, contains a special footnote on Revelation 13:18
that reads, “The numeral letters of his name shall make up this num ­
ber.” There are many names and titles assumed by the Roman pon­
tiff, but one of the most significant is VICARIUS FILII DEI, mean­
ing the “Vicar of the Son of G od.” This title is incorporated in the
canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. “Beams Petrus in terris
vicarius filii Dei videtur esse constitutus” (Decretum Gratiani, prima
pars., dist. 96).
“The title Vicarius Filii D e i. . . is very common as the title for the
Pope” (Dr. J. Quaston, S.T.D., professor of ancient history and
Christian archaeology, School of Sacred Theology, Catholic Univer­
sity of America, Washington, D.C., March 5, 1943). This title was
confirmed by a church council, according to Binius, a Roman Catho­
lic dignitary of Cologne. (See Sacrosancta Concilia, vol. 1, pages
1539-1541.)
“The title of the Pope of Rome is Vicarius Filii Dei, and if you
take the letters of his title which represent Latin numerals (printed
large) and add them together, they come to 666” [Our Sunday Visitor,
November 15, 1914).
It is to no purpose merely to multiply names and count the nu­
merals. While many names have been seized upon through the centu­
ries in an effort to interpret this prophecy, yet too often it has meant
little more than idle speculation. We repeat, the challenge is not to
the mathematician as such, nor to the philosopher with his worldly
wisdom, but to the servant of God who earnestly seeks for “the wis­
dom that is from above” (James 3:17).

305
 The title below is particularly significant as the climax to our in­
vestigation. Note its computation:

V - 5 F - 0 “Vicarius Filii Dei”

I - 1 I - 1 One of the pope’s official
c - 100 L - 50 titles (Latin language).
A - 0 I - 1
R - 0 I - 1
I - 1
U - 5 D - 500
s - 0 E - 0
I - 1
666

It is surely significant that through all the changing centuries from

ancient Babylon to modern Babylon, the power that has corrupted
the truth of God is branded with the number 666! W hen Babylon is
mentioned in God’s Word, the number six is strangely prominent.
Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold, for example, was sixty cubits high
and six cubits wide. And there were six different musical instruments
in his “band” when the loyal Hebrews refused to worship that symbol
of Babylonian greatness. (See Daniel 3.) In Daniel chapter 4, the
“tree” that represented Babylonian power is mentioned just six times.
Belshazzar met his doom while praising the gods of “gold,” “silver,"
“brass,” “iron,” “wood,” and “stone”—-six in all. (See Daniel 5:4.) In
the Revelation the name Babylon occurs just six times. In Lucifer’s
defiance of God, the personal pronoun “I” or “my” is used six times.
(See Isaiah 14:13, 14.) Also in the story of the building of the Tower
of Babel, or Babylon, the personal pronoun “us” or “we” is used just
six times.
Anciently the Jews believed there was “a doom upon the number
six even when it stood alone. Triple it, . . . you obtain three mysteri­
ous sixes following one another, 666, and we have represented a po­
tency of evil than which there can be none greater, a direfulness of fate
than which there can be none worse” (William Milligan, The Exposi­
tor’s Bible, vol. 6, page 890).

306
 Hie Beast From the Sea and the Mae With the Mystic Number BBB
To the Jew, six was the number of unrest or the number of man,
who was created on the sixth day; seven was the number of perfection,
and eight is the number of victory. If a number was tripled, it indi­
cated the eternity of the thing symbolized, for example, 666 meant
eternal unrest; 111, eternal perfection; 888, eternal victory. (See The
Antichrist 666, pages 137-146.)
The fact that the papal number is identical with the sacred num ­
ber of the ancient sun-god is significant. Against this system of decep­
tion, God has spoken in no uncertain language. He calls it “Babylon,”
or “confusion.” And His message today is, “Come out of her, my
people” (Revelation 18:4). His true church will be victorious. They
will stand on the sea of glass, singing the song of Moses and the Lamb,
the song of victory “over the beast, and over his image, and over his
mark, and over the number of his name” (Revelation 15:2). Through
a greater name, the name of Jesus, they have conquered sin, for “there
is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved” (Acts 4:12). God hath “given him [Jesus] a name
which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow” (Philippians 2:9, 10). All hail the power of Jesus’ name!

307
 W hen paganism invaded the church, it brought with it not only
its vestments and mysteries but also its spirit of intolerance. When
man ceases to rule by love, he resorts to force.
The church loses her mission in the world. W hen the earlv
church began to lose her “first love,” she also lost her vision. W hen
she entered politics, she fell from her high spiritual estate. Instead
of continuing as a mighty missionary movement concerned onlv
with carrying the good news of a free salvation to all men every­
where, she began to build herself into a great financial institution
with the avowed objective o f ruling the nations. Then instead of
looking forward to the return of Christ, accompanied by His an­
gels with power and great glory, as the consummation o f her hopes,
this apostate church began to teach that her mission in the world
was to establish herself as the political leader of the world, and
through a so-called spiritual rulership usher in the kingdom of
God on the earth. This concept of the church and her work was a
complete reversal o f the apostolic message. Augustine’s book The
City o f God interpreted Revelation 20 to mean that the church
would rule the nations.

T he church becomes an established institution

In the days of the apostles the church made tremendous spiritual
conquests. She truly “went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Rev­
elation 6:2). But a change came. Paul spoke of that coming change as
the “falling away” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This apostasy, he said, would
give rise to “that man of sin” who, while exalting himself above all
that is called God, and sitting as a ruler in the temple of God, and
even claiming to be God, would, in the guise of Christianity, corrupt
the truth and oppose any who differed with him. (See 2 Thessalonians
2:3, 4.)

308
T he beast arises from the sea
The decline of spiritual power w ithin the established church
was not sudden. Church history traces the tragic steps that finally
placed civil and religious authority in one hand. Power-hungry
popes boasting the title “G od’s vicegerent on earth” usurped the
prerogatives o f Deity. Purporting to be the successors of Peter,
they claimed authority, not over the church alone, but over the
entire world. For example, Pope Innocent III (ruled 1198-1216)
wrote that “as the sun and moon are placed in the firmament, the
greater as the light o f day and the lesser of the night, so there are
two powers on earth, the greater the pontifical and the lesser the
royal.” M aking and unmaking kings was the pastime o f pontiffs.
Trampling on the rights of conscience, these medieval rulers domi­
nated princes, states, and parliaments, compelling submission
through the most horrible engine of tyranny, the Inquisition. Plot­
ting and scheming to gain more power, this dom inating church
continued to “wear out the saints of the most H igh” and attempted
to change G od’s law (Daniel 7:25). And this was to continue for
forty-two months.
This prophetic period John has already introduced five times and
in three different ways, while Daniel speaks of it twice. One method
of expression used by both John and Daniel is “a time, and times, and
half a time” (Revelation 12:14; Daniel 7:25; 12:7). A “time” was a
Hebrew way of expressing a year. (See Daniel 4:16; 11:13, margin.)
The calculation is clear and convincing:

1 “time” equals 1 year or 360 days

2 “times” equals 2 years or 720 days
Vj “time” equals Vi year or 180 days
Total 1,260 days

The expression “forty and two months” is arresting. A prophetic

month consists of thirty days. So forty-two months multiplied by
thirty would give us 1,260 days. Biblical authorities agree that in
prophecy a day represents a year. Commencing with the decree of
Justinian in a . d . 538, this extended to 1798. Two and a half centuries

309
before this significant date, Europe was being rocked by revolution—
a revolution of ideas stemming largely from the Protestant Reforma­
tion. Nation after nation severed its allegiance to ecclesiastical author-
ity.
Bible prophecy foretold not only the rise of the papacy but also
her downfall. Miis power that pretended to speak for Christ was actu­
ally speaking against Him. Every Reformer without exception spoke
of this apostate church as “antichrist.” Now the word anti means
“against” and “rivalry” or “supplanting.” The papacy fulfills both
ideas, as the leaders of the sixteenth century Reformation so ably set
forth. But the arrogant and blasphemous power was nearing the end
of her allotted period of dominance, and political events were shaping
up for her collapse. Napoleon, one of the most powerful figures o:
history, began with rapid strides to change the face of Europe. And it
was during the Napoleonic wars that the papal head of this beast con­
glomerate (see Revelation 13) was “as it were wounded to death-
(Revelation 13:3). “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captiv­
ity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword-
(verse 10). In 1798 General Berthier, by no means a strong general,
took Pope Pius VI prisoner. The pope was exiled until his death a year
later; during this time there was no ruling pope. W ith what remark­
able precision the prophetic period of 1,260 years was completely
fulfilled!
John, however, not only foretold her wounding and her captivity
but also declared that her deadly wound would be healed. Then, he
said, “all the world wondered after the beast” (verse 3)— a truly re­
markable prediction. When Italy was united under Garibaldi’s revo­
lution (1866-1870), the church was stripped of even her lands, leav­
ing the pope a virtual prisoner in the Vatican. Fifty-nine years later,
on February 11, 1929, the famous concordat signed by Mussolini and
Cardinal Gaspari restored a part of those lands, since which time the
pope has been a king again among the sovereigns of earth. The official
church reporter, describing this history-making event, said, “We are
now witnessing the signing of this document. As the ink flows from
these pens it is healing the wound of fifty-nine years” (emphasis sup­
plied).

310
 Even the most casual observer is compelled to recognize the rapid
growth and international prestige and power of the Roman Catholic
Church. She is today exercising a greater influence on world affairs
than at any time in her long and checkered history. And more and
more is her influence being felt in the United States.

A nother beast comes up out of the earth

At the time the ten-horned beast received its deadly wound
(1798) another power was seen to arise. (See Revelation 13:11-17.)
The first beast was from the “sea”; the second came up from the
“earth.” The sea represents “peoples, and multitudes, and nations,
and tongues” (Revelation 17:15), a true picture of Europe, where
the papal beast arose. The earth must represent, not a crowded coun­
try of diverse nations, but a sparsely populated and isolated area.
And where was there such a place? Certainly not in Europe or Asia.
True to the prophecy, something tremendous was happening across
the Atlantic. A century and a half before this time, colonies had
begun to spring up in America. By 1776 these colonies had bound
themselves together and were waging their Revolutionary War, sev­
ering themselves from Europe. Thus the foundation was laid for a
completely new nation.
Following the war the American C onstitution was framed and
ratified, going into effect in 1789. The same year the French Revolu­
tion broke out, causing an upheaval not only in France but
throughout Europe. This brought an end to the H oly Roman Em­
pire. The downfall o f the first beast from the sea marked the rise
of the beast from the earth. And it came up in a land far removed
from the “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” of
the O ld W orld. John Wesley, interpreting this prophecy about
1760, said, “He is not yet come, though he cannot be far off. For
he is to appear at the end of the forty-two months o f the first
beast” {Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, 17th ed., page
704). The Greek word anabaino means to come up quietly, unob­
trusively, but quickly, as a springing vegetable. And that is how
America arose. O ne historian says, “Like a silent seed we grew into
an empire.”

311
TWO HORNS LIKE A LAMB
Horns denote power, as we have already observed, the ten horns
of the wild beast from the sea representing the ten divisions of ancient
Rome. This new beast has not ten, but two, horns, lamblike, inno­
cent, even Christian in appearance. How representative of the two
great cornerstones of the American republic— civil and religious lib­
erty, or republicanism and Protestantism. Those founding fathers of
the new nation wanted “a country without a king, and a church with­
out a pope.” And their ideals were embodied in the American Consti­
tution, which, declared Gladstone, one of the greatest prime ministers
of Great Britain, is “the most wonderful work ever struck off at a
given time by the brain and purpose of man.”
That constitution, which so definitely separates church and state,
was the fruit of a long struggle for liberty and also of an intensive
study of great minds. Its greatness lies in this: It protects the divine
right of man against the so-called right of kings and dictators, and it
permits Congress to establish a court, but not a religion; to suppress
an insurrection, but not a newspaper; to close a port, but not her citi­
zens’ mouths; to regulate commerce, but not a church; to take a vaca­
tion, but not her citizens’ property. It stands as a buffer between free­
dom and despotism. It is a stumbling block in the path of ambitious
and designing men who would destroy true liberty. It protects the
weak against the strong, the minority against the majority. It upholds
the sovereignty of the individual.
At the time o f the Declaration of Independence, the popula­
tion of the American colonies was not more than three million.
Today it has reached almost one hundred times that number— or
almost three hundred million. In 1776 the land area of the states
was only 500,000 square miles; today it is 3,537,438 square miles.
America indeed came up at the right time and in the right way, and
she has done the very things prophecy stated would be her historv.
But no statesman, even fifty years ago, would have dared to pre­
dict the international role the U nited States is playing today. “Iso­
lation” and “noninterference” seem outm oded phrases in her for­
eign policy as she has assumed an unprecedented role in world
affairs.

312
He speaks as a dragon
The illustrious history of the United States would seem to make
impossible the rise of intolerance. But God’s W ord declares that this
country, which has been the very cradle of liberty, will yet speak with
the voice of a dictator, exercising “all the power of the first beast” and
compelling men “to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed” (Revelation 13:12). How slow we are to learn the lessons of
history.
Edwin Burke, speaking before the British House of Commons in
1784, declared, “People never give up their liberties but under some
delusion.” Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essen­
tial liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty
nor safety.” Daniel Webster emphasizes the same truth by declaring,
“God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to
guard and defend it.” All too many in lands where liberty prevails
seem to take freedom for granted, forgetting the price paid in sacrifice
and blood.

L iberty endangered
The very freedom of the U nited States makes it possible for
organizations that are alien to freedom to undermine the princi­
ples o f liberty. Some who reside in America do not share the prin­
ciples that have characterized this country from its beginning. In
the political climate o f today, personal liberties can become fragile
as the U nited States and the many other countries around the
world try to protect themselves against those who would destroy
them. As a result, many are urging that government be made stron­
ger and that personal liberties may need to be curtailed. Therein
lies the danger. W hen government becomes the master instead of
the servant, personal freedoms can disappear quickly. Liberties are
safeguarded by citizens, not by politics. The future freedom of
America depends upon every citizen being aware of the real issues
at stake. W hen there is so much fog in the political atmosphere, it
is easy to be misunderstood, and to be concerned is to run the risk
of being looked upon as an alarmist. But the issues o f the future
are too vital to remain silent.

313
 They are slaves who fear to speak
For the fallen and the weak;
They are slaves who will not choose
Hatred, scoffing, and abuse,
Rather than in silence shrink
From the truth they needs must think;
They are slaves who dare not be
In the right with two or three.
—James Russell Lowell

While liberty is often the most costly possession, it is also the most
fragile, and “eternal vigilance” is its price. Liberty is the very heart of
the gospel. “The truth shall make you free,” declared Jesus (John
8:32), and His freedom is not license but liberty. False liberty is a
man’s freedom to do what he likes, but true liberty is a man’s freedom
to do what he ought. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,~
declares the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 3:17).

E fforts to amend the C onstitution

Even before the dawn o f the twentieth century, such organiza­
tions as the National Reform Association, the International Re­
form Federation, and the Lord’s Day Alliance were working tire­
lessly to insert changes into the American C onstitution which,
although appearing harmless, could completely destroy freedom.
Notice these statements of objectives from an official source ax
that time:

To secure such an amendm ent to the Constitution of

the U nited States as will . . . indicate that this is a Christian
nation, and place all the Christian laws, institutions, and
usages of our government on an undeniably legal basis in
the fundamental law of the land (David McAllister, The N a­
tional Reform Movement, . . . A M anual o f Christian Civil
Government, “Article II of C onstitution,” 1898 ed., pages
15, 16).

314
 We cordially, gladly recognize the fact that in South
American Republics, and in France and other European
countries, the Roman Catholics are the recognized advocates
of national Christianity, and stand opposed to all the pro­
posals of secularism. . . . Whenever they are willing to co­
operate in resisting the progress of political atheism, we will
gladly join hands with them in a W orld’s Conference for the
Promotion of National Christianity,— which ought to be
held at no distant day— many countries could be represented
only by Roman Catholics (Christian Statesman [the official
organ of the National Reform Association], December 11,
1884, page 2).

We quote these to show that the determination to have changes made

in the Constitution is not new. The rapid growth of Roman Catholic
influence in this country makes the situation more alarming.

O n September 7, 1947, Pope Pius XII declared that “ ‘the

time for reflection and planning is past’ in religious and moral
fields and the ‘time for action’ has arrived.” He said that “the
battle in religious and moral fields hinged on five points: Re­
ligious culture, the sanctifying of Sunday, the saving of the
Christian family, social justice, and loyalty and truthfulness in
dealings” (Evening Star, Washington, D.C., September 8,
1947).

W ith the 1961 decision of the Supreme C ourt of the U nited

States declaring state Sunday-closing laws to be constitutional, a
long step was taken toward the sanctifying o f Sunday. Protestants
have for many years sought Sunday enforcement deliberately as
religious legislation and indirectly as welfare legislation. As Catho­
lics have added their voice, there as been a joining of forces be­
tween Protestants and Catholics to bring about a more favorable
legal environment for Sunday observance and more stringent state
laws to achieve this objective— with the ultimate aim of a national
Sunday law.

315
 No one should be denied the right to worship God according to
the dictates of his own conscience, but the history of the papacv
where she has gained control should lead all thoughtful citizens to
view with real concern the present trend. Such groups are aware of
the danger of these demanded changes, as is evidence in such state­
ments as this:

If Congress shall declare the first day of the week holy, it

will not convince the Jew nor the Sabbatarian. It will dissat­
isfy both, and consequently, convert neither. . . . If a solemn
act of legislation shall, in one point, define the law of God, or
point out to the citizen one religious duty, it may, with equal
propriety, proceed to define every part of divine revelation,
and enforce every religious obligation, even to the forms and
ceremonies of worship, the endowment of the church, and the
support of the clergy. . . .
The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal
principle that man’s relation with his God is above human
legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable (Sunday
Mail, U.S. House Reports, vol. 2, no. 271, pages 1-4).

G rowth of C atholicism
At the beginning o f the twentieth century, Roman Catholi­
cism in N orth America was regarded as a mission project sup­
ported by gifts from outside the nation. T hat is no longer the case,
and according to some estimates, more money flows into Rome
from the U nited States than from all other sources. History has z
way of repeating itself, and old controversies can come to life again
at a mere pretext. T hat which has safeguarded the liberties of the
people of the U nited States has been the determ ination to keer
forever separate church and state. And American Catholics gener­
ally have recognized the wisdom of this. As stated by Oscar HaleckL
“The Vatican knows well that the separation of church and state
in the U nited States actually assists Roman Catholicism” (Oscar
Halecki and James F. Murray, Jr., Eugenio Pacelli: Pope o f Peace-
[New York: Creative Age Press, 1951]. Q uoted in the Catholic

316
 The Collapse of IniDlefance and the Rise of America
Digest 15:7 [May, 1951] article, “Pius XII and the U.S.A.,” by
Oscar Halecki).
In an address in July 1953, at the New York University Center,
John B. Sherrin, C.S.P., editor of the Catholic World, said, “It is not
true, . . . that the Holy See condemned the proposition that ‘the
Church must be separated from the State and the State from the
Church.’ W hat was condemned, he said, was a separation of Church
and State as the ideal relationship, ‘not the proposition that the
Church may be separated from the State.’ ” (Religious News Service,
July 14, 1953.)
This reasoning is clear in its implications, however. Events today
are moving rapidly, and Catholicism and Protestantism are agreeing
on an increasing number of social issues and joining forces to achieve
common religious objectives.

An image to the beast

An image is not the exact thing, but something so near to the
original that it looks or acts the same. W ith the United States stretch­
ing her hands across the sea to clasp hands with the restored papacy,
the world scarcely need be surprised to see the union completed. The
wound of 1798 is rapidly being healed, and even the scar is disappear­
ing. Her future role will be tremendous.

T hat no man may buy or sell

This graphic chapter of the Revelation closes with a picture of a
worldwide boycott. In an endeavor to unify religious thought and
establish peace among the nations, this two-horned beast power,
America, will yet lead out in programs of religious confederation that
will result in loss of liberty. Those only who identify themselves with
the beast and receive his mark will be permitted to buy and sell. Con­
trary to all her history, America will join forces with the revived pow­
er of Rome and, contrary to all expectations, will find herself actually
in the role of a religious oppressor.
Vatican Council II (1962-1965) was a most significant and far
reaching event. Pope John was fired with a desire to see a new
Pentecost. He therefore set out to adapt the church’s whole life to

317
the revolutionary changes taking place in science, economics, and
politics— to make it more Catholic and less Roman. He began br
calling Protestants “separated brethren” rather than “heretics.” The
aim of this laudable attitude is Christian unity. This is exactly what
prophecy indicates.

D e v il s w o r k i n g m ir a c l e s

The modern intrusion of demon power into Western culture is

one of the most significant fulfillments of this amazing prophecy. At
the very time that America was beginning to influence world thought,
modern spiritism made its appearance. Since then it has swept around
the world and can count its adherents by millions. Many branches of
occult science have arisen in recent decades. While these are not actu­
ally new, for they have always been a vital part of heathen religions,
yet they are now invading the West with new powers of deception.
Miracles are being wrought, not by the power of God, but by de­
monism.
Spiritism, with its attendant table tipping and rappings, had its
modern origin in 1848 at the home of the Fox sisters in Rochester.
New York. It began in this crude form, but is has since then devel­
oped into more or less of a science. At least it is claiming the attention
of many leading scientists. God declares it a deceiver by which earth's
last generation will be led away from the saving truth of the gospel of
Christ. Fire will even be brought down from heaven to compel the
attention of the multitudes. (See Revelation 13:13.) But the issue will
reach a real climax when a coalition is made between spiritism, Ca­
tholicism, and apostate Protestantism. This will culminate in the
forced worship of the beast and the reception of his mark. The iden­
tity of this mark will be discussed in the next chapter. These events
will lead to the setting up of the image of the beast. And occultism in
various ways, but especially through spiritualism, will play a major
role in the final worldwide deception. This movement will draw to­
gether every form of religious culture with the avowed objective of
building a world government headed by a world church. And perse­
cution has historically followed on the heels of a uniting of church
and state.

318
 TIib Collapse of Intolerance and die Rise nl America
T h e t o r c h o f l ib e r t y

A family had been seeing the sights of New York for the first time.
They had visited many places, among them the famous Statue of Lib­
erty. After an exciting day, the little girl found it difficult to get to
sleep. “W hy don’t you go to sleep, honey?” asked the father.
She replied, “Daddy, I’m thinking about that lady with the lamp
out there in the dark. She’s all alone. D on’t you think we should be
helping Miss Liberty to hold up the lamp?”
To help hold up the torch of liberty is the duty, not only of one
family, but of every true Christian throughout America and the
world.

319
 M s final Anneal to M i n t
The significance of this chapter— Revelation 14—will be missed
unless we view it in relation to chapters 12 and 13. In vision, John has
been watching the preparations for the final battle between two great
opposing powers. The enemy of all righteousness is marshalling his
strength against God’s loyal remnant. Even America, the champion ot
freedom, will forget her history. W ith such a combination of evil, and
all the world acclaiming the greatness of the beast and his image, how
can true Christianity possibly survive?

T h e v ic t o r io u s c o m p a n y o n M o unt Z io n w it h t h e L amb

W ith dramatic instinct, the prophet quickly shifts the scene. We

gaze not upon oppressing powers of earth, but on the victorious com­
pany standing with the Lamb on M ount Zion. W hat a contrast! The
“Father’s name,” not the mark of the beast, is “written in their fore­
heads” (Revelation 14:1). They are a special group, the same group we
noticed in chapter 7. In the setting of that prophecy this group was
still on the earth surrounded by their enemies, but ready to be sealed
with the seal of the living God. They are gathered from all nations. In
chapter 14, the same company is seen with Christ.

T h e y s in g a n e w s o n g

As John watches, he is enthralled by the sound of singing. It is like

the rolling of many waters or the voice of a great multitude. Forty-sis
times in the Apocalypse voices are heard, and they are almost all voices
of victory. This is not only a song of victory; it is a song of experience.
Only those who have passed through the time of trouble, who have
stood firmly for God’s truth when all the world wondered after the
beast, and who have witnessed the awful effects of the seven last
plagues, will be able to join in this particular song. It is a new song, for
it records a new experience. It is majestic and sublime, yet sweet and

320
 God's Final Appeal to Mankind
tender— the most lovely song in heaven or earth, like “harpers harp­
ing with their harps” (verse 2). Those only who have experienced full
salvation from sin can learn it.

N o t d e f il e d w it h w o m e n

Those constituting this special company are undefiled in life and

doctrine. A woman in prophecy denotes a church. In Revelation 17:5
we have the picture of an impure woman with her daughters, all of
whom have partaken of the same unholy nature. The woman is called
“MYSTERY, BABYLON T H E GREAT.” This is the apostate church
that reigns over the kings of the earth. (See verse 18.) While this has
had its application through the centuries, yet its special fulfillment is
just before Christ returns. But the 144,000 are not defiled with these
women, or these apostate churches. They have a pure faith not defiled
by false teachings; it is “the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

T h e y a r e v ir g in s

The church that will be waiting for the Master’s return is described
in the parable of the ten virgins. (See Matthew 25:1-13.) They are vir­
gins because they have a pure faith. They keep the commandments of
God and the faith of Jesus. (See Revelation 14:12.) The “lamps” in the
hands of the waiting virgins are a symbol of the W ord of God, which
David declared was a lamp unto his feet. (See Psalm 119:105.) It is not
sufficient to have the lamp; we also need the oil— a deep Christian ex­
perience that comes through the indwelling Spirit of God.

F ir s t f r u it s t o G o d a nd to the La m b

The expression “first fruits” refers to quality. O f all those redeemed

from the earth, these are the first in quality. They have been purchased
away from men. They have been separated from the sinful habits and
conversation of the world. (See 1 Corinthians 6:20.) They have not
been deluded by the deceptions of the devil. (See 2 Thessalonians
2:9-11.)
In his letter to the church, John said that when Jesus shall appear,
we shall be like Him. (See 1 John 3:3.) To be like the Master is the
highest spiritual attainment.

11 — U. D. R. 321
 Those who come from the grave at the second coming of Christ
will be raised in a state of perfection by the creative power of God.
Those who will be living to witness Jesus’ coming will have grown
into perfection by the grace and power of the indwelling Spirit. This,
too, is a manifestation of creative power.

T h e y a r e w it h o u t fa u lt

“In their mouth was found no guile” (Revelation 14:5). Here is

God’s description of the victorious remnant awaiting their Master’s
return. James says, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a per­
fect man” (James 3:2). Zephaniah, describing the remnant church,
says that they “shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a
deceitful tongue be found in their m outh” (Zephaniah 3:13).

T h ese fo l l o w t h e L amb

The highest honor God can ever grant is reserved for this special
company. “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he
goeth” (Revelation 14:4). Accompanying their loved Commander
throughout the vast universe, they become a special trophy of grace.
Having lived through earth’s most tragic hour when the deceptions o f
the devil have been the greatest, they have nevertheless been victori­
ous. W hat a wonderful reward for their faith! W hat is the secret o f
their victory when everything is set against them? The answer is found
in the three angels’ messages brought to view in the next few verses.

T h e a n g e l h a v in g t h e e v e r l a s t in g g o s p e l

Symbolizing a message or a messenger, this first angel represents a

worldwide message; not some new message, but rather the message o f
the old, the everlasting, gospel. God has always had but one gospel,
sometimes called “the gospel of God,” “the gospel of grace,” the gos­
pel of Jesus Christ,” “the gospel of the kingdom,” etc. These different
expressions merely emphasize different phases of the same glorious
gospel of good news. It was proclaimed to Adam before he was driven
from Eden. Noah, too, was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter
2:5). He proclaimed salvation from sin because he “found grace in the
eyes of the L o r d ” (Genesis 6:8). Faithful Abraham taught the same

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glorious gospel (see Galatians 3:8), and Moses esteemed “the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26).
These all looked forward to the Redeemer, whereas we who are living
on this side of the cross of Christ look backward. But men of every age
are saved from sin by the same grace and the same Savior. Paul speaks
of God’s “eternal purpose” (Ephesians 3:11), but it was made known
to men in the setting they could understand. In each particular age
some special emphasis has been given to some particular phase of the
gospel. In this last generation the great burden of the gospel is to her­
ald the imminent return of our Lord and to prepare a special people
to meet Him. It is therefore in the setting of the judgment hour that
the everlasting gospel is being proclaimed today. It comes with special
warning to all them that “dwell” or “sit” on the earth, those who are
at ease and settled.

T h e f i r s t a n g e l ’s m e s s a g e : G o d ’s j u d g m e n t h o u r i s c o m e

From his vantage point in the heavenly sanctuary John envisions

dramatic happenings. Three angels are sent forth from God’s head­
quarters as recruiting officers. They are bidden to hurry with special
messages to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. They are to
enlist recruits for God. N ot all in the world have made their decision
to be wholly for God or for Satan. “Multitudes in the valley of deci­
sion” (Joel 3:14) is another prophet’s description. In the very hour of
God’s judgment millions hear the messages, and a great multitude
rally to the call of the Captain of their salvation and join the ranks of
God’s people.
Judgment is intrinsic to the gospel of Christ, for only in the judg­
ment will the righteousness of God be revealed and His character
vindicated. And in that count the names of overcomers only are re­
tained in the Lamb’s book of life. (See Revelation 3:5; Daniel 12:1.)
W hen Paul preached, he looked forward to the judgment. “He rea­
soned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come” (Acts
24:25, emphasis supplied). But the last message of mercy that goes to
the world declares that the hour of God’s judgment is come. (See
Revelation 14:7). This is the truth for this generation. The hour of
God’s judgment has already struck.

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 This judgment announcement is a call to worship the Creator. At
the time the beast and his image are claiming the worship of the na­
tion, God calls men to worship Him who made heaven and earth.
Like the Romans to whom Paul wrote, men today are worshiping
“the creature more than the Creator” (Romans jt :25). Education and
human philosophy have robbed men of the concept of a personal
God. The Creator has been lost in His creation. To worship the Cre­
ator fully, we must also recognize the sign of His creative power, and
that sign is the Sabbath. “For in six days the L o r d made heaven and
earth, . . . and rested the seventh day: wherefore the L o r d blessed the
sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).
“God’s blessing and sanctifying the day meant that He separated it
from a common to a religious use, to be a perpetual memorial or sign
that all who thus observe it would show themselves to be the worship­
ers of that God who made the world in six days and rested on the
seventh” (Binney’s Theological Compend, pages 169, 170.)

“The importance of the Sabbath as a memorial of creation

is that it keeps ever present the true reason why worship is due
to God”— because He is the Creator, and we are His crea­
tures. “The Sabbath, therefore lies at the very foundation of
divine worship; for it teaches this great truth in the most im­
pressive manner, and no other institution does this. The true
ground of divine worship, not of that on the seventh day
merely, but of all worship, is found in the distinction between
the Creator and His creatures. This great fact can never be­
come obsolete, and must never be forgotten” (J. N. Andrews,
History o f the Sabbath, chapter 27). It was to keep this truth
ever before the minds of men, that God instituted the Sab­
bath in Eden; and so long as the fact that He is our Creator
continues to be a reason why we should worship Him, so long
the Sabbath will continue as its sign and memorial. Had the
Sabbath been universally kept, man’s thoughts and affections
would have been led to the Creator as the object of reverence
and worship, and there would never have been an idolator, an
atheist, or an infidel. The keeping of the Sabbath is a sign of

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 loyalty to the true God, “H im that made heaven and earth,
and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” It follows that the
message which commands men to worship God and keep His
commandments, will especially call upon them to keep the
fourth commandment (Ellen White, The Great Controversy,
pages 437, 438).

T h e s e c o n d a n g e l ’s m e s s a g e — B a b y l o n is f a l l e n

This is the first time the word Babylon occurs in the book of Rev­
elation, and as we have already noticed, it is used just six times. We
have observed that the number six is prominent in the mystery wor­
ship of ancient Babylon. This ancient city had its origin when men
willfully and knowingly turned from the grace of God and sought
salvation by their own works. N im rod’s building of the city of Baby­
lon culminated in the apostasy of the Tower of Babel.
“Let us make us a name,” they said (Genesis 11:4). Reference has
already been made to this deliberate and organized apostasy. This
whole project was in defiance of God’s promise that He would never
again destroy the world by a flood. The name by which they would
have desired to be remembered was Bab-ril, meaning “gate of God,”
but God sent confusion to them, and they never finished their proj­
ect. God called the place “Babel” or “Babylon,” which means confu­
sion. Their tower, which was to be a monument to their pride, became
a memorial to their folly.
From that day to this, Babylon has symbolized apostasy, arro­
gance, confusion, and a man-made salvation. Two ancient cities, Je­
rusalem and Babylon, are set in contrast in the Scriptures— Salem,
meaning “peace,” and Babel, meaning “confusion.” One city (Jerusa­
lem) became the center of God’s earthly kingdom; the other (Baby­
lon) became the center of Satan’s earthly kingdom. In the New Testa­
ment, and especially in the Revelation, these cities represent two
spiritual kingdoms.
Part of God’s threefold message today is, “Babylon is fallen, . . .
because she made all nations drink” (Revelation 14:8). Many profess­
ing Christians, like the ancient Babel builders, have turned from the
everlasting gospel to follow their own devisings, with the theory of

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evolution replacing the Bible account of Creation. It is being heralded
today, not only in the halls of learning, but even from the pulpits. The
effect of this modern evolutionary theory upon Christian belief is tre­
mendous. Faith is being subtly undermined. Professor Randall of Co­
lumbia University stated, “Today it seems that the great Hebrew-
Christian moral tradition, the most ancient part of our heritage, is
crumbling to pieces before our very eyes. . . . The man who trusts a
physical science to describe the world finds no conceivable place into
which to fit a deity” {Current History, June, 1929, pages 359-361).
James Gilkey states the truth about liberal Christianity thus: “Liberal
Protestants have abandoned belief in the verbal infallibility of the
Bible” (A Faith to Affirm, page 3). To emphasize this, he quotes from
recent speeches of certain modernist leaders, who seem to delight in

One preacher said, “We believe that Jesus was a human being, . . . that
He was born in the normal way. . . . To us Jesus’ death is, in essence,
no different from the death of other heroes” (ibid., pages 9, 10).
Summing it up, Gilkey says:

Today the ancient belief that Jesus will reappear in the

sky, inaugurate a dramatic world judgment, . . . has dwindled
from a universally accepted and enormously influential Chris­
tian conviction to the esoteric doctrine of a minority. Once a
modern man accepts what historians tell him about the age of
the universe and once he accepts what scientists tell him about
the nature of the evolutionary process, he cannot believe that
there will ever be any such spectacular wind-up of the world’s
affairs as the one which the early Christians believed would
presently take place (ibid., page 24).

The nations and even many churches are drunk with the intoxi­
cating wine of Babylon. As the ancient Babylonians, “mad upon their
idols” (Jeremiah 50:38), defied God and were overthrown (see Daniel
5), so also will modern Babylon meet her doom. Ancient Babylon
could have been healed, but she refused the truth of God. (See Jer­
emiah 51:9.) Like that ancient city, modern Babylon is also rejecting

326
 God's
the divine counsel. Having despised the W ord of God, she has actu­
ally “become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit”
(Revelation 18:2).
Every unholy doctrine found in ancient Babylon— spiritism, sun
worship, astrology, etc., with all their accompanying evils— can be
found in modern Babylon. Because she is doomed, God is calling His
people to separate from her. “Come out of her, my people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins” (verse 4). “Come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, . . . and I will receive you” (2 Cor­
inthians 6:17).

T h e t h i r d a n g e l ’s m e s s a g e — a w a r n i n g a g a i n s t f a l s e w o r s h i p

“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark
in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture” (Revelation
14:9, 10). No other message in all the Bible is as solemn as this, and
it comes with particular meaning in view of the worldwide apostasy
and boycott prophesied in Revelation 13:16, 17, when universal al­
legiance to the apostate power will be enforced.

T h e m a r k o f t h e bea st

Whatever the mark of the beast is, it must be something clear and
definite. God’s unmingled wrath would not be reserved as a punish­
ment for an unknown offense. Furthermore, the mark of the beast
must be in contradistinction to the “seal” or mark of God. His seal,
the sign of His creative power, as we have already noted, is God’s rest
day, or the true Sabbath. It follows that the seal or mark of this uni­
versal apostasy would be man’s rest day, or the false day of worship.
W hen the church began to fall away from the apostolic faith, she
gradually accepted pagan practices. False teachings took the place of
truth. Among other things, she took a false day of worship. In the Catho­
lic World, March 1894, page 809, we read, “She took the pagan Sunday
and made it the Christian Sunday. . . . And thus the pagan Sunday,
dedicated to Balder, became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus.”
“The Christian Sabbath is therefore to this day the acknowledged
offspring of the Catholic Church, as Spouse of the Holy Ghost,

327
without a word of remonstrance from the Protestant world” ( The
Catholic Mirror, September 23, 1893).
The late Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore says in his book The
Faith o f Our Fathers, “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Rev­
elation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctifica­
tion of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of
Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (Seventy-sixth edition,
page 86).
In a letter written October 8, 1901, Mr. C. F. Thomas, chancel­
lor to Cardinal Gibbons, said that “it was the Catholic Church that
authorized and sanctioned the change in the Lord’s Day from the
seventh day of the week with the first. She did it very early in her
life.”
In a Catholic work, An Abridgment o f the Christian Doctrine, bv
Rev. Henry Tuberville, D .D., we read on page 58,

Q. How prove you that the church hath power to com­

mand feasts and holydays?
A. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday.

From another Roman Catholic work we read,

Q. Have you any other way of proving that the church has
power to institute festivals of precept?
A. Had she not such power, she could not have . . . substi­
tuted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for
the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for
which there is no Scriptural authority (Stephen Keenan, A
Doctrinal Catechism, page 174).

The earliest recognition of the observance of Sunday as a

legal duty is a constitution of Constantine in a.d. 321, enacting
that all courts of justice, inhabitants of towns, and workshops
were to be at rest on Sunday (venerabili die solis), with an ex­
ception in favor of those engaged in agricultural labor (The En­
cyclopaedia Britannica, eleventh edition, article, “Sunday”).

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 The mark of apostasy is thus clearly identified. The third angel
warns against receiving this mark. But we do not know all that is to
be known on this, nor can we know, until the unfolding of events.
“The light we have received upon the third angel’s message is the true
light. The mark of the beast is exactly what it has been proclaimed to
be. N ot all in regard to this matter is yet understood, nor will it be
understood until the unrolling of the scroll” (Ellen White, Testimo­
niesfor the Church, vol. 6, page 17).
Before the Savior appears in glory, every soul will have made his
choice either to obey or to disobey the Lord. Great issues are before
the church. International law will require universal allegiance to the
false power of Rome. But those who heed such a law will dishonor
God and break His command. It is then that men receive the mark of
the beast. N ot until the issues are clearly set forth and all the world has
heard God’s message will men receive the mark o f the beast. (See Ellen
White, The Great Controversy, page 449.) God has His loyal witnesses
in every church. They love His W ord and are living up to all the light
they have received.

No one has yet received the mark of the beast. . . . There

are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman
Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have
had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth com­
mandment. But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the
counterfeit Sabbath, and the loud cry of the third angel shall
warn men against the worship of the beast and his image, the
line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then
those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark
of the beast (Ellen White, Evangelism, pages 234, 235).

Before our Lord returns, every individual will be compelled to

make his choice. Those who refuse to obey the powers of earth and
will at all costs keep the faith of Jesus will be ostracized from society.
Even as Daniel refused to compromise his faith and accepted the
death decree rather than deny his God and was miraculously delivered
from the power of the lions, so it will be in this last crisis with those

329
who stand true to heaven’s commands. It is then that those who will­
fully and knowingly choose to obey this apostate power and receive
the mark of the beast “shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God"
(Revelation 14:10).

T h e p a t ie n c e o f t h e s a in t s

This word patience is also translated “steadfastness.” It will be a

patient and steadfast people that will be waiting for the coming of the
Lord. (See Hebrews 10:36, 37.) They will also be an obedient people
‘who carefully keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus!’
(Revelation 14:12, Weymouth).
The church of the Reformation was commended for her patience
and faith. And her obedience will be particularly conspicuous. In
worshiping the Creator, she keeps holy the Sabbath day, recognizing
it as a sign of God’s sanctifying power. (See Ezekiel 20:12.) Those
who accept this final message of God to the world are themselves a
sign of God’s power to convert and re-create. (See Isaiah 8:18; Zecha-
riah 3:8, margin.)
God’s remnant people are known in different countries by various
names descriptive of their Christian experience. In Fiji the natives
early called them “the clean church”; in Liberia, “the people of the
washing of hearts”; in other places, “the walking Ten Command­
ments”; “the Second Advent people”; and “the people of love.” Jesus
said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another” (John 13:35). And Paul says that Christ “loved
the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to
himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians
5:25-27).

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 he ot the Lhurch
D
th
As the prophet John watched the unfolding panorama, he saw that
prior to the return of Jesus the whole world will have heard God’s final
warning and appeal. He saw the everlasting gospel going “to every na­
tion, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). Being
proclaimed in the setting of the three angels’ messages, it becomes a
power in the earth.

A GREAT WORLDWIDE DELUSION

The greatest deception of all time is yet to be staged, and this will take
place just before the appearing of our Lord, when “Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9) deceives the whole
world. Those who fail to heed God’s message will be ensnared by this delu­
sion, and they will actually believe a lie, or “the lie” (R.V.). (See verse 11.)
Jesus spoke of this delusion, saying that the whole world would be
caught in the snare. (See Luke 21:35.) The deception would be so
great that if possible even the very elect would be deceived. (See M at­
thew 24:24.) But they will not be deceived. Because they love the
truth and have fortified themselves by the W ord of God, they will be
able to withstand the delusion. (See Ephesians 6:10-17.) The devil is
even now spreading a veil over the nations. (See Isaiah 25:7.) He is
putting “a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err” (Isa­
iah 30:28), and men are making lies their refuge. (See Isaiah 28:17.)
“Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians
11:14). It is the spirits of devils that go forth to the kings of the earth
and to the whole world to fasten them in deception and urge them on
to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven.
By these agencies, rulers and subjects alike will be deceived.

As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan

himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to

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 look to the Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her
hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ
has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest
himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness,
resembling the description of the Son of God given by John
in the Revelation. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed
by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of
triumph rings out upon the air, “Christ has come! Christ has
come!” The people prostrate themselves in adoration before
him, while he lifts up his hands, and pronounces a blessing
upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon
the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In
gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gra­
cious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the
diseases of the people. . . . This is the strong, almost overmas­
tering delusion. . . .
But the people of God will not be misled. The teachings
of this false Christ are not in accordance with the Scriptures.
His blessing is pronounced upon the worshipers of the beast
and his image, the very class upon whom the Bible declares
that God’s unmingled wrath shall be poured out. . . .
Only those who have been diligent students o f the Scriptures,
and who have received the love of the truth, will be shielded
from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive (Ellen
White, The Great Controversy, pages 624, 625, emphasis sup­
plied) .

These victorious ones will, by the grace of Christ, be keeping “the

commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

T h e w in e o f G o d ’s w r a t h

God’s last message climaxes with the tremendous announcement

that those who refuse to accept salvation will ultimately drink of the
wine of the wrath of God, unmixed with mercy. (See Revelation
14:9-11.) The word torment (verse 11) is an unfortunate translation
and is not sustained by the original. The Greek word basanismos prop-

332
 IheTriumph of the Chumh and the Seven Last fla p s
erly means to examine by the use of the basanos, a species of stone
from Lydia that was applied to metals, as it was thought to indicate
any alloy that might be mixed with them. Gold left a yellow streak on
this touchstone. Today we test gold by acid or fire. In Matthew 14:24
the word basanidzomenon, from the verb basanidzo, which comes
from the above noun, basanos, is translated “tossed,” where it describes
a ship tossed or “tested” by the waves. In Revelation 14:11, the word
torment really means to “test” or “prove by trial.”
One important thought, often overlooked by certain interpreters,
is the fact that this testing takes place, not in some far away place of
torture or purgatory, but “in the presence of the holy angels, and in
the presence of the Lamb” (verse 10). Paul says, “The fire shall try
[prove] every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Corinthians 3:13). And
all, righteous and wicked alike, will go through the same test, and
before the whole fallen universe will be revealed those who are really
God’s people and those who are not. Isaiah asks, “W ho among us
shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with
everlasting burnings?” (Isaiah 33:14). Then is revealed the fact that
some will stand the test, but those only who are righteous and upright
before God. (See verse 15.)
Just as the three Hebrew worthies were preserved in the burning
fiery furnace, so will the righteous stand at last in the presence of a
holy God whom the Scripture speaks of as “a consuming fire” (He­
brews 12:29).

T he return of C h r is t — t h e c l im a x o f t h e a g e s

A most beautiful description of our Savior’s second advent is

found in Revelation 14:14. Surrounded by a cloud of angels, His
brow adorned with a golden crown, and carrying a sharp sickle, He
comes to reap the harvest of the earth. Jesus, in His parable of the
wheat and tares (see Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43), emphasized this
reaping and declared that the good seed represented the children of
the kingdom.
Another harvest is brought to view in Revelation 14:18— the har­
vest of the ripened grapes. Two vines have been growing in the earth,
one of heavenly origin, the other of the earth, earthy. Jesus said, “I am

333
the true vine” and “ye are the branches” (John 15:1, 5). The Scrip­
tures speak of evil being destroyed “root” and “branch” (Malachi 4:1).
The devil and his followers comprise this other vine. W hen at last the
angels of God gather the ripe clusters of the grapes of wrath and cast
them into the wine press of God’s judgment, terrible indeed will be
the vintage. (See Psalm 75:8.)

A SEA OF GLASS MINGLED WITH FIRE

In contrast with the scene of destruction in the closing verses of
chapter 14, the next scene that opens to the view of this prophet is
one of victory. Those who have witnessed the brilliant spectacle of a
tropic sunset at sea have caught a faint idea of the glory the prophet
here attempts to describe. As the great sun sinks like a ball of blazing
fire, the ocean itself seems to break forth into flames of glory; the
waves, touched with crimson, transform the whole scene into a min­
gling of flood and flame. So was the scene that opened to the Patmos
prophet. The scene of glory became more real as he thought of it in
retrospect. Picture him returning to his place of rest after a convict’s
hard day. Suddenly he catches a glimpse of sunset glory over the
Mediterranean. It becomes to him a beautiful symbol of that great
day of realities when the toil of earth is ended and all disappointments
are past and the saints stand at last in the presence of their God. Then,
lifting his eyes from the scenes on earth to a scene more wondrous, his
thoughts make more glorious the “sea of glass mingled with fire”
(Revelation 15:2) on which the redeemed stand at last victorious.
Then he catches the sound of singing. It is the song of victory. The
saints are home at last. Insignificant indeed are the trials of earth in
comparison with that scene of splendor!

T h e so ng of M o ses a n d t h e Lamb

W hat marvelous contrasts are found in this book! Apocalyptic

writings follow this pattern. Scenes of victory and glory are set over in
vivid contrast with the scenes of defeat and desolation. John caught
the echo of this mighty anthem as it bursts from the lips of those who,
by grace, have conquered the power of the enemy. They sing the song
of Moses and the Lamb. It is the song of Moses because it voices the

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 Hie Triumph of the ChorcSi and the Seven Last Plagues
praise of those who, like ancient Israel at the Red Sea, have been
miraculously delivered from impending destruction. But it is also the
song of the Lamb because it speaks of the triumph of God’s people
over death and the grave. It will be a song of experience, and only
those who have passed through the experience will be able to join in
that paean of praise. The angels will not be able to sing that song, but
poor lost sinners redeemed by grace will tell the story in an anthem
never heard before.

But when I sing redemption’s story,

They will fold their wings,
For angels never felt the joys
That our salvation brings.
—Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Wonderful is the music we sometimes hear on earth, but nothing

can compare with this tremendous chorus as this redeemed company
sweep their harps of gold, and, pitching their celestial song a note higher,
change from the minor key of sorrow into the major key of everlasting
joy. And the wonder of it all is that, we, too, can be among them. “Who
shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?” (verse 4).

T h e s e v e n a n g e l s w i t h t h e v ia l s

The closing verses of chapter 15 unfold one of the most arresting

scenes in the whole book. W hen the seven angels go forth with the
vials of wrath, the Scripture says that until their work was finished “no
man was able to enter into the temple” (verse 8). Before the judg­
ments of God break upon a guilty world, the gospel message of invita­
tion will have been heard by every soul on earth; man’s opportunity
for salvation will have passed, and the door of mercy will have been
closed forever.
Some commentators try to make this prophecy of the plagues run
parallel with the seals and the trumpets. That really cannot be, for the
plagues are poured out upon those who have received the mark of the
beast, and that mark will not be received until just before Christ ap­
pears in glory. These judgments fall after Christ has finished His

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ministry on behalf of sinners. Furthermore, the Scripture declares
that theses plagues shall “come in one day, death, and mourning, and
famine” (Revelation 18:8). We have already mentioned that a day in
prophecy is a year, and it is evident that this could not possibly be a
literal day of twenty-four hours, for no famine could result in so short
a time no matter how bad the conditions. Moreover, the Scripture
indicates that some of the same men who suffer under the first plague
also suffer under the other plagues. It is therefore evident that these
judgments fall on the same generation and will last through a pro­
phetic day or a literal year.

T h e d e s c r ip t io n o f t h e p l a g u e s

A number of the prophets have described the effect of these judg­

ments, Isaiah and Joel particularly. Joel 1:17-20 says: “The seed is
rotten under their clods, . . . the corn is withered. . . . The flocks of
sheep are made desolate. . . . The rivers of waters are dried up, and the
fire hath devoured the pastures.” While this doubtless had a spiritual
application in the days in which Joel was writing, yet it was “the day
of the Lord” that he was describing. (See Joel 1:15; 2:1.)
The first plague is a grievous sore which falls upon those who have
the mark of the beast. (See Revelation 16:2.) Before this first angel
pours out his vial, the whole human race will have divided itself into
two classes— those who are sealed with the seal of the living God, and
those who have the mark of the beast. To the one class who are under
the protecting wings of the Almighty, the promise is, “Thou shalt not
be afraid for the . . . pestilence that walketh in darkness. . . . A thou­
sand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it
shall not come nigh thee. . . . Neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling” (Psalm 91:5-10).
The second and third plagues fall upon the waters, turning the sea
and the water supplies of the nations into a putrefaction resembling
the blood of a dead man. W hen the ocean becomes a place of death,
the inhabitants of every country in the world will be affected. But
God’s people need not fear. Some of the most beautiful promises in
God’s W ord reveal His plan to protect His chosen ones during those
awful days. Here is one:

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 M riu m p li nfthe Chuich endtlie Seven M a g e
W hen the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and
their tongue faileth for thirst, I the L o r d will hear them, I the
God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high
places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make
the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of
water (Isaiah 41:17, 18).

And again:

He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the

munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters
shall be sure (Isaiah 33:16).

The fourth plague is poured out on the sun, which is given power
to scorch men with heat. Their only response is to blaspheme the Al­
mighty. They cannot repent because repentance is the work of the
Holy Spirit. But before the plagues fall, the Spirit of God will have
been withdrawn from this earth.
The fifth vial is poured out on the seat, or throne, of the beast,
plunging the kingdom of error into dense darkness. There is a similar­
ity between these plagues and the plagues that fell on Egypt. Those,
however, were judgments on one small country, while these seven last
plagues affect the whole world and men of every nation. When Egypt
was dark, there was light in dwellings of Israel.
W hen the sixth angel poured out his vial, the prophet John says
he beheld “three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of
the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth
of the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13). In ancient Egypt the frog
was an object of veneration, and three black frogs were a symbol of
their pagan and spirit deities. The introduction of this symbol of the
frog into this prophecy is arresting. As is well known, this little crea­
ture hibernates, that is, it disappears for a time, only to return and
disturb us with its croaking. So paganism and spiritism disappeared,
as it were, for a time, at least in the Western world, but these are reap­
pearing under many disguises. Pagan thinking has entered our educa­
tional classrooms. It has even claimed many pulpits. In the final scenes

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of earth’s history, paganism and spiritism under the cloak of religion
are to exercise tremendous influence.
These unclean spirits come from the mouths of the dragon, the
beast, and the false prophet. The power of lying propaganda has been
amply demonstrated in recent decades in our world, but it will reach
its maximum extent under the sixth plague, when the spirits of de­
mons will gather the nations of the whole world for “the battle of that
great day of God Almighty” (verse 14). Protestant churches whose
founders went to the stake for their faith

will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to

grasp the hand of Spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss
to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influ­
ence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the
steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.
As Spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal
Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and
ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order
o f things. He will appear in the character of an angel of
light. Through the agency o f Spiritualism, miracles will be
wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable
wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess
faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions
of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifesta­
tion of divine power (Ellen W hite, The Great Controversy,
page 588).

Through the combined influence of spiritism, Roman Catholi­

cism, and apostate Protestantism, the world will be led, not to peace,
but to war. And that war will be against God Himself. Revelation
16:16 says that the nations are gathered together “into a place called
in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
Through the centuries many ideas have been expressed con­
cerning Armageddon. Unfulfilled prophecy has always been a fer­
tile field for human speculation. Palestine may well be the storm
center of a worldwide conflict, but the battle of the day o f God

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 W i i i p l o f H l i c I i and the Seven Lest Plagues
Almighty will not be confined to any one land in particular. The
issues are much larger than many have imagined. It is not geo­
graphical location that the Lord is emphasizing as much as a revela­
tion o f the issues at stake. The Holy Land will be involved, because
every land of earth will be a scene for this last great struggle. "The
kings of the earth and of the whole w orld” (verse 14) will be in­
volved. It would be physically impossible to gather all the armies
of the world on one battlefield. The word battle in this verse is
translated from the Greek word polemos, which is often translated
“war” rather than “battle.” It may be either a single encounter or a
series o f engagements. In this death struggle between the com­
bined powers of darkness and hate and the legions o f light and
love, the whole world will be the battlefield, and so terrible will be
the slaughter o f that day that “they shall not be lamented, neither
gathered, nor buried” (Jeremiah 25:33).

Soon, very soon, will be fought the last great battle be­
tween good and evil. Tire earth is to be the battlefield— the
scene of the final contest and the final victory. Here, where for
so long Satan has led men against God, rebellion is to be for­
ever suppressed (Ellen White, The Review and Herald, May
13, 1902, page 9).

The battle of Armageddon is soon to be fought. He on

whose vesture is written the name, King of kings, and Lord of
lords, is soon to lead forth the armies of heaven (Ellen White,
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, page 406).

This battle is between heaven and earth, Christ and Satan.

Describing the tremendous scope of this conflict, John says,
“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome
them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14).
Again, he says, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and
their armies, gathered together to make war against him . . . and
against his army” (Revelation 19:19). The phrase “make war” occurs
sixteen times in the New Testament; nine times in the Revelation.

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 W ho but the most spiritually blind could fail to see the shaping of
events that will lead to the final battle which ends the misrule of men
and ushers in the long-expected kingdom of peace?

The real issue at stake in Armageddon will not be so much

material and international as spiritual. It will actually be a
struggle between the devil and wicked nations on the one
side and God and His people on the other (W. W. Branson,
Drama o f the Ages, page 533).

So tremendous will be that conflagration that were it not for the

fact that God sends down His mighty ones to protect His people, thev
would be wiped off the earth. “In the midst of the time of trouble that
is coming, . . . God’s chosen people will stand unmoved. Satan and
his host cannot destroy them, for angels that excel in strength will
protect them” (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, page
17). Describing this coming conflict, the prophet Joel says, “Thither
cause thy mighty ones to come down, O L o r d ” (Joel 3:11). The battle
of the great day of God Almighty will cease, not by the conquest of
one nation over another nation or one group of nations over another
group of nations, but by the sudden appearing of Jesus Christ as He
comes in power and great glory. The wicked will then flee in terror.
W hen the seventh angel pours out his vial, a voice from heaven is
heard to say, “It is done.” Then follow lightnings, thunderings, and a
great earthquake, the like of which has never been “since men were
upon the earth” (Revelation 16:17, 18).
Great Babylon, the symbol of an apostate world, now receives her
full judgment. Islands flee away, and the mountains are not found;
hailstones weighing fifty to one hundred pounds fall from heaven.
This plague comes from God and not from men. The Lord said to
Job, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou
seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of
trouble, against the day of battle and war?” (Job 38:22, 23). Isaiah
spoke of “the overflowing scourge” (Isaiah 28:15) that will pass
through the land and destroy those who have made lies their refuge.
Daniel speaks of it as the “time of trouble, such as never was.” Then

340
he adds, “Thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book”— the book of life (Daniel 12:1).
Before the coming of this day of destruction, God sends an invita­
tion to all to gather together and seek Him. Those who heed His mes­
sage will be sheltered from these plagues (see Zephaniah 2:1-3), for
“the L o r d will be the hope of his people” (Joel 3:16). Psalms 46 and
91 are both moving descriptions of this time of earthly calamity. But
God’s people will be protected “under his wings” (Psalm 91:4). In the
midst of all the conflagration, the resurrection will take place. “Amid
the reeling of the earth, the flash of lightning, and the roar of thunder,
the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints” (Ellen
White, The Great Controversy, page 644). This will be the overwhelm­
ing evidence of G od’s supreme power over His enemies. W hen the
sleeping saints are raised to immortality and the living saints are
caught up to meet Him in the air, the wicked who have refused salva­
tion will flee in terror, only to be destroyed “with the brightness of his
coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). W hat a scene of victory and tragedy—
victory for the saints; tragedy for the sinners! May God help us to be
ready.

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 nn
le Judoment of the Scarle
Revelation 17 is to many an enigma. But like a combination
lock, if we know the right combination, it is no longer an enigma.
Having beheld the outpouring of G od’s judgments in the seven last
plagues, and the climax of history in the tremendous convulsions of
nature, when mountains and islands disappear and the works of
man are destroyed, the Patmos prophet now sees a more intimate
view of the power that intoxicates the nations and defies the God of
heaven.
W ith dramatic instinct the prophet paints his word pictures. A
woman sits upon a scarlet beast. “On her forehead was a name with a
secret meaning” (Revelation 17:5, NEB). She is decked in royal pur­
ple and shameless scarlet; her title: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT, T H E M O T H ER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINA­
TIONS OF TH E EARTH” (verse 5).

T he identity of the woman

This language is impressive; yet we must ask, W ho is this woman
called Mystery, Babylon the Great? There can be no doubt as to her
identity. As we have already noticed, a woman in prophecy repre­
sents a church. The woman in chapter 12 is a beautiful symbol of
the true church of Jesus Christ, but this woman in chapter 17, cor­
rupt in character and deceptive in nature, contrasts in every way
with that virtuous woman. God likened His people to “a comely
and delicate woman” (Jeremiah 6:2), or to a woman “dwelling at
home” (margin). But this woman is not dwelling at home. Instead
she is courting kings and living in illicit relationship with the world.
She is not attired in “fine linen,” which “is the righteousness of
saints” (Revelation 19:8), but is lavishly adorned in purple and scar­
let, and decked with gold and costly gems. John saw her also drunken
with the blood of the saints and of the martyrs o f Jesus. He was

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viewing this apostate church subsequent to the centuries of persecu­
tion. She was holding in her hand a cup “full of abominations”
(Revelation 17:4). In Scripture the words abomination, lie, graven
image, andfalse god are all used synonymously. (See 1 Kings 11:7, 2,
3; Isaiah 44:15, 19, 20.) This is nor the cup of salvation for which
David of old prayed (see Psalm 116:13) but is full of false gods and
lying abominations, such as the counterfeit doctrines o f false priest­
hood that claims power to forgive sins and decide cases. St. Alphon-
sus de Liguori, writing under the imprimatur of papal authorities,
says:

The priest has the power of the keys, or the power of de­
livering sinners from hell, of making them worthy of paradise,
and of changing them from the slaves of Satan into the chil­
dren of God. And God himself is obligated to abide by the
judgment of his priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon
(.Dignity and Duties o f the Priest, edited by Rev. Eugene
Grimm, 1927, page 27).

When St. Michael comes to a dying Christian who in­

vokes his aid, the holy archangel can chase away the devils,
but he cannot free his clients from their chains till a priest
comes to absolve him (ibid.).

Incredible blasphemy! But millions of sincere souls believe it and

order their lives accordingly.
And the woman had “a golden cup in her hand” (Revelation
17:4). One of the most vital doctrines in this apostate church is the
daily sacrifice of the mass. The wafer in the golden monstrance, they
claim, is the living Christ. Sacred as is the doctrine of transubstantia-
tion to the devout Roman Catholic, it surely is idolatry to say that this
piece of bread is actually the Creator of heaven and earth. Since the
infliction of the “deadly wound” (Revelation 13:3) in 1798, the pa­
pacy has fought her way back to prestige and power. Perhaps nothing
has contributed more to her recovery than have the Internationa.
Eucharistic Congresses held throughout the world, in which the
elevation of the “Eucharistic Christ” is the dominant point of the
whole proceedings.

T he church falls from her pure faith

In the study of the seven churches and the seven seals, we saw how
corruption came into the church in the early centuries. Her purity
was lost as soon as she courted the favor of the world. Then little by
little she became corrupt. Even before the days of Dante in the twelfth
century, literary thinkers and true theologians were consistently ap­
plying this prophecy to the Church of Rome. In his Divine Comedy,
Dante made a forthright indictment of the established church of his
day. Ignaz Dollinger declares of this masterpiece that it was “the bold­
est, most unsparing, most incisive, denunciatory song that has ever
been composed.”

Your avarice
O ’ercasts the world with mourning, underfoot
Treading the good, and raising bad men up,
O f shepherds like to you, the Evangelist
Was ware, when her, who sits upon the waves,
W ith kings in filthy whoredom he beheld,
She who with seven heads towered at her birth,
And from ten horns her proof of glory drew. . . .
O f gold and silver ye have made your god. . . .
Ah, Constantine! to how much ill gave birth,
N ot thy conversion, but that plenteous dower,
W hich the first wealthy Father gained from thee.
— Canto 19

Space and time forbid quoting from many others who wrote dur­
ing those centuries. The application of this prophecy to the Roman
Church is practically universal. O f course, those earlier writers, like
Dante, were actually members of the established Church of Rome,
and this was hundreds of years before the rise of Protestantism.
The beast on which the woman sits, like the other beasts of proph­
ecy, represents the civil or political power. Upheld by the power of the

344
state, this woman, symbol of the apostate church, is seen guiding and
controlling the nations. She does it for her own ends. Students of his­
tory recognize in this the pattern of Roman Catholicism during the
past fifteen hundred years, at least whenever and wherever she has
been strong enough to gain that control.
O n the occasion of the jubilee o f Pope Leo XII, a medal was struck
bearing on the one side his image, and on the other side a symbol of
the Church of Rome. O n this medal we see a woman holding in her
left hand a cross and in her right, a cup, with this legend around her:
Sedet super universum (“the whole world is her seat”). This unwitting
fulfillment of prophecy is only one of many that could be mentioned.
The apostasy and the antichrist, which the apostle Paul foretold would
arise and be found sitting in the temple of God, claiming to be God
(2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4), is not something to arise in the future— it is
in the world today.

S ignificance of her name

She had a name written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON TH E GREAT”
(Revelation 17:5). W hen the mystery cults of ancient Babylon came
into the church, the foundations for the mystery of iniquity were laid.
The mysteries took the form of religion only a short time after the
Flood and were a definite attempt to destroy the knowledge of the
true God from the minds of men.
Nimrod, “a mighty hunter before the L o r d ” (Genesis 10:9), be­
gan the kingdom of Babylon, and legend has it that upon his death
his depraved and licentious queen, eager to hold her influence over
the people, instituted certain rites in which she was worshiped as
Rhea, the great “M other” of the gods. This Chaldean queen is a fitting
prototype of this woman in the Apocalypse on whose forehead is the
name, “MYSTERY, BABYLON TH E GREAT, TH E M O TH ER
OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF TH E EARTH” (Rev­
elation 17:5). W hen John saw her she was drunk. But her debauchery
was at an end; she was awaiting her judgment. He was astonished, and
well he might be. The angel, unfolding to him the mystery of it all,
said: “The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth
over the kings of the earth” (verse 18).

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 Nine times in the Revelation we find the expression the “great
city” as applied to this apostate system. The woman represents eccle­
siastical power; the beast, political power. In this symbol we find the
complete union of the church and state, and all “whose names are not
written in the book of life” (Revelation 13:8) are amazed as they wit­
ness the rise and influence of this tremendous religio-political power
described as “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation
17:8).

T h e p o w e r t h a t f e l l a n d r o s e a g a in

Having received state recognition at the time when Justinian’s

decree became effective in a .d . 538, this apostate power in Rome
began her dominance, which was to last 1,260 years. During those
centuries she practically controlled the political scene in Europe,
crowning kings and excommunicating even royal “heretics.” But she
received a deadly wound in the Napoleonic Wars, and the pope
himself was taken prisoner. This occurred August 9, 1798. Some
Bible interpreters see in this event a particular fulfillment of this
rather difficult portion of the prophecy. The power that “was,” they
say, ceased to control, and another period of her existence was un­
folded, comparatively described as the “is not” period. She had gone
into captivity (see Revelation 13:10), and many writers of this time
fully believed that the papacy could never rise again. A number of
books were published by secular historians emphasizing that belief.
But John was shown that she would ascend again and become a
world power.
It is never wise to be dogmatic when studying unfulfilled prophecies.
A biblical principle is clear; Jesus said, “I have told you before it come
to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe” (John 14:29,
emphasis supplied). The unfolding of events are even now clarifying
many of these difficult passages.
During the last century, the Church of Rome has been regaining
her political influence until today she is strong once more. In 1854
the papal dogma of the Immaculate Conception was pronounced. In
1870 she enunciated the dogma of papal infallibility. In 1929 the
pope received recognition as a sovereign ruler. In 1951 she set forth

346
the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. But greater things
are yet to come, for “all the world” will wonder “after the beast” (Rev­
elation 13:3). Thus some Bible interpreters hold that it could be said
that the beast, or the political power of the papacy, was from 538 to
1798; that it was not from 1798 to 1929; and that now it yet is. Her
power will be even greater before our Savior returns. Her pride will
mount up to heaven.
As we have noticed in earlier chapters, when John received this
vision, he was witnessing scenes in heaven when “the judgm ent
was set, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:10). Thus, in vi­
sion, he was brought forward to our own time, and as the scroll of
prophecy and history unrolled before him, he was instructed to
write what he was seeing. W hile these messages have been studied
with profit and inspiration throughout the centuries, they have
their special application to earth’s last generation. Through the
study o f His W ord, the Lord by His Spirit is preparing a people to
stand through the final days of deception and be ready for the ap­
pearing of our Lord. The prophet was, therefore, witnessing events
o f our own day.

T he beast w ith seven heads

At the time this prophecy had its special application, five of the
seven heads of the beast were “fallen.” While it might not be wise to
be dogmatic on the specific identity of these heads, yet it is significant
that there are seven different and distinct powers introduced into
Scripture by prophetic symbols. These are clearly indicated: (1) Baby­
lon (the lion, Daniel 7:4); (2) Persia (the bear, verse 5); (3) Grecia
(the leopard, verse 6); (4) pagan Rome (the ten-horned beast, verse 7);
(5) papal, or ecclesiastical Rome (the seven-headed beast of Revela­
tion 13), also the horn that spoke great words and blasphemies (Dan­
iel 7:8; Revelation 13:2, 5); (6) republicanism or democracy (the two­
horned beast, Revelation 13:11); and (7) the last great confederacy of
evil (the scarlet beast, Revelation 17:3). The “great red dragon” (Rev­
elation 12:3) cannot be a symbol of any one specific power, for while
it represents Rome’s attack on the infant Jesus, later verses in the
chapter show its warfare against God’s last people. In reality, it covers

347
the whole period occupied by all these beast powers, for behind every
political attack upon the people of God is the dragon, or prince of
evil. Even ancient Egypt was spoken of as the dragon. But the apoca­
lyptic prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation which unfold the reign
of the great Gentile powers begin with the overthrow of the throne of
Judah, which occurred under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, thus clearing the way for Gentile rule in the world. Jesus
spoke of “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). The Gentile “times”
are terminating now.
Through all the centuries the dragon, or the devil, was waitingfor
the Child to be born. He was therefore in existence before the Christian
Era, but he will make his most severe attack upon the remnant or the last
true church. This dragon power is a symbol of more than pagan Rome.
As we have already emphasized, John was brought forward in vision
and was witnessing the events of the judgment. At the time that great
scene opened in heaven (1844), the papacy was at a low ebb. Only a
few years earlier she had received her deadly wound. At the time this
prophecy of Revelation 17 had its special application, five of these
great powers had fallen. These were Babylon, Persia, Greece, pagan
Rome, and papal Rome—-the deadly wound having been inflicted
upon the papacy in 1798.
Now the prophet, watching, says that “one is,” that is, it was
existent after 1798. The Revolutionary W ar in America overthrew the
“divine right” of kings, but it also overthrew the divine right of ma­
jorities. Prelates and popes have had no place in this growing nation.
Democracy had its real opportunity in America, and, as we have al­
ready noticed, she arose at the time the papacy went down. Yet, star­
tling as it may seem, this prophecy reveals that these great principles
of liberty will ultimately be abandoned and that what was free Protes­
tant America will actually become an ally of Rome and “make an im­
age to the beast” which had the “wound by a sword, and did live”
(Revelation 13:14). We would be blind if we failed to see that this
very thing is taking place before our eyes today. The foundation is be­
ing laid for the papacy’s sudden rise to complete worldwide domi­
nance. But the angel declared, “W hen he cometh, he must continue a
short space” (Revelation 17:10). Never again will this power domi-

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 Hie Judgment of the Scarlet Woman
nate the centuries as she did before. Her power will be great, but for a
short time.

H orns w ithout crowns

A significant difference between the leopard beast of Revelation
12 and the scarlet colored beast of Revelation 17 should be empha­
sized. Each beast has ten horns, but while the horns on the leopard
had ten crowns, no crowns are mentioned in the description of the
scarlet beast. This last beast, as we have noticed, is descriptive of a
period in history when crowns and monarchies are, to a large extent,
out of fashion. The ten horns, the angel said, represent ten kings, yet
these are uncrowned kings. They possess kingly power, however, and
might better be called dictators.
During W orld War I, four great empires passed away— the Ger­
man, the Russian, the Austrian, and the Ottoman. These great powers
collapsed, and they are no longer empires. Many other monarchies
have also passed away in the aftermath of that war. It is said that be­
tween August and December of 1914, more than two hundred royal­
ties and petty royalties had abdicated. W ith the disappearance of the
kings, it became the fashion in government to establish republics, and
these arose in many countries. However, it takes more than a mere
change of governmental structure to bring liberty. History reveals that
if power is placed in the hands of men whose love of power is greater
than their love of people, then “sovereign demos,” or the rule of the
people, can be as cruel a tyrant as any autocrat that ever occupied a
throne.

T hese have one mind

Now the prophet learns that these so-called kings “have one
mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (verse
13). That is, they surrender their power to the beast, an evidence of
their confidence in this restored kingdom. But this great new con­
federacy of political and ecclesiastical power is short lived. They
reign “as kings one hour with the beast” (verse 12). Some interpret
the expression “one hour” as an actual measurement of time, an
hour being one twenty-fourth part of a day; and one twenty-fourth

349
of a prophetic day or a literal year would be fifteen days. Others,
however, claim it is an expression of an indefinite period. In any
case, it is indeed a short space of time, but sufficient for this resusci­
tated power to make her blasphemous and arrogant claim, when she
says, “I sit a queen, and am no widow” (Revelation 18:7). To make
the sin the greater, this confederacy of evil passes sentence of death
upon anyone who refuses to render her homage. All who do iden­
tify themselves with her will receive the mark of the beast. (See Rev­
elation 13:16.)
This revived power of the papacy actually constitutes another
head, and when, for a brief time, the beast and the false prophet
unite their powers, they will then constitute another head, i.e., even
“the eighth.” But this eighth head “is of the seven” (Revelation
17:11).
She says she is “no widow” (Revelation 18:7). She was widowed
when she was stripped of her temporal power in 1798, but before the
end of time she will be completely reinstated, and all “peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues” will pay her homage (Revela­
tion 17:15). The kings of the earth will be committing spiritual forni­
cation with her. That is, they will be in unholy alliance with her. (See
Revelation 18:3.) This will be the greatest union of church and state
the world has ever known.

B abylon d eno un c ed

To prepare His people for that tremendous crisis, God is send­

ing His last message of mercy. The whole world will be illumined
with the glory of that message (see Revelation 18:1), which declares
that Babylon, or the fallen church, has “become the habitation of
devils, and hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and
hateful bird” (Revelation 18:2). A dove is the emblem of the Holy
Spirit, but the emblems of Babylon are unclean and hateful birds,
scavengers who feed on carrion. By her sorceries she deceived the
nations (see verse 23), and now, drunk with her wine, they are living
in unholy alliance with her while the merchants are being made rich
by her commerce. Babylon is not one church. In Revelation 17:5
she is called “T H E M O T H E R OF HARLOTS.” She has daughters,

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 The Jmlgment of tlte Scaflet Woman
other churches, and these partake of the same unholy nature and are
found drinking her wine and teaching her doctrines that are not in
harmony with the Bible.

C om e out of her , M y peo ple

This is God’s call today:

Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation

from God that exists in the churches which constitute Baby­
lon, the great body of Christ’s true followers are still to be
found in their communion. There are many of these who have
never seen the special truths for this time. N ot a few are dis­
satisfied with their present condition and are longing for
clearer light. They look in vain for the image of Christ in the
churches with which they are connected. As these bodies de­
part further and further from the truth, and ally themselves
more closely with the world, the difference between the two
classes will widen, and it will finally result in separation. The
time will come when those who love God supremely can no
longer remain in connection with such as are “lovers of plea­
sures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof.”
Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of
rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6-12, the
church will have fully reached the condition foretold by
the second angel, and the people o f God still in Babylon
will be called upon to separate from her communion. This
message is the last that will ever be given to the world; and
it will accomplish its work. W hen those that “believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness,” shall be
left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then the
light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to
receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in
Babylon will heed the call, “Come out of her, My people”
(Ellen W hite, The Great Controversy, page 390; see also
pages 604-608).

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 G od’s judgments are about to fall in the seven last plagues, and
all who refuse to separate from Babylon and her sins will suffer de­
struction with her. “Flee out of the midst of Babylon” was G od’s
message to Israel when ancient Babylon was about to fall (Jeremiah
51:6). As we have noticed, these plagues “come in one day” (Revela­
tion 18:8). This is a prophetic day, or a literal year. W hen those who
have put their confidence in this great world power witness the com­
plete collapse of the whole political, economic, religious, financial,
and educational confederacy, they stand aghast, crying, “Alas, alas
that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judg­
ment come” (verse 10). Four times in the book of Revelation we
find the expression “one hour.” It is for just one hour that the pow­
ers of the world reign with her (see Revelation 17:12); in “one hour”
her judgment comes (Revelation 18:10); in “one hour” her riches
come to naught (verse 17); in “one hour” she is made desolate (verse
19).
Like the ancient Babel builders, whose efforts to build a tower
whose top would reach up to heaven were thwarted, and who were
scattered by a divine hand, so this modern Babylonian structure,
whose “sins have reached unto heaven” (verse 5), will also collapse.
The merchants that have been made rich by her abundance will ulti­
mately turn upon her and destroy her. (See Revelation 17:16.) Ship­
masters and dealers in precious stones, farmers and traders, sculptors
and manufacturers, all will bewail her burning. (See Revelation 18:9-
17.) Flaving put their confidence in her, they see their hopes collapse
as they witness her destruction.
Six times over in verses 21-23 we read that she will be no more at
all. Her music, her industry, her finance, her commerce will be no
more at all. Her destruction will be complete, and God charges her
with the blood “of all that were slain upon the earth” (verse 24)— a
tremendous picture of the final scenes that will usher in the coming
kingdom of glory! W hen the whole confederacy of evil declares war
on God and His people, the promise is that “the Lamb shall overcome
them: . . . and they that are with H im are called, and chosen, and
faithful” (Revelation 17:14). God has called us by His grace. He has
chosen us to be a holy people; it remains for us to be faithful. Entrance

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to the kingdom is not promised to the successful, but to the faithful.
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant’' (Matthew 25:21).
To God’s faithful servants comes the command, “Arise, shine; for
thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peo­
ple: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen
upon thee” (Isaiah 60:1, 2).

During the loud cry, the church, aided by the providential

interpositions of her exalted Lord, will diffuse the knowledge
of salvation so abundantly that light will be communicated to
every city and town. The earth will be filled with the knowl­
edge of salvation. So abundantly will the renewing Spirit of
God have crowned with success the intensely active agencies,
that the light of present truth will be seen flashing everywhere
(Ellen White, Evangelism, page 694).

12—U. D. R. 353
 he numph of tne Lhurch and
:ieTwo GreatSuDDers
“The marriage of the Lamb is come”! (Revelation 19:7). W hat a
theme for the song of a multitude! And John hears them uttering their
praises. It is truly the shout of triumph. The great system of evil and
deception is overthrown. The great, boastful Babylon is now a desola­
tion, and the saints are about to enter into their final reward. From
the throne there peals forth a command, summoning the servants of
God and all that fear Him, both great and small, to voice their praise.
That chorus is like the sound of “many waters” and like “the voice of
mighty thunderings.” They cry, in triumph, “Alleluia: for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor
to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made
herself ready” (Revelation 19:6, 7).
Eastern marriage customs. This burst of jubilation is one of the
most sublime passages of all Scripture. But to understand it better, we
must see it in the setting of a marriage according to the ancient cus­
toms of the East.
First there was the betrothal, considered much more binding than
the “engagements” of our Western custom. Then came payment of
the wedding dowry, an important part of the contract.
After this came a period of personal preparation on the part of the
bride while the bridegroom was preparing the home.
The marriage was not conducted in a church, with a ceremony
such as we are accustomed to, but was a simple ceremony when the
bridegroom gave public recognition of his claim to the bride. This was
done by throwing his cloak around her shoulder as the procession
moved along the highway where the wedding feast was to be held.
The wedding feast, or the marriage supper, was a spectacular event
lasting at times for days and even weeks. The father o f the bridegroom
provided this feast, and it was usually held at the father’s home. This
was an occasion for honoring his son, and, in the case of a royal wed-

354
ding, the king would often bequeath a city or a whole province to the
young couple as a token of affection and honor. This gift was usually
made just prior to the wedding. Now let us make the application.

W h o is t h e b r i d e ?

In Revelation 21:9, 10 the bride is clearly defined as the Holy

City, New Jerusalem. But in other Scriptures, the church is called
“the bride.” Even in the Revelation itself, the bride is mentioned as
being arrayed “in fine linen, clean and white,” and this is called “the
righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8)— a figure hardly applicable
to a merely material city. Is there any contradiction here?
Decidedly not. The city is the bride, but a city w ithout inhabit­
ants is only a group of buildings and streets. It is the people who
occupy those buildings that make the city what it is. And the New
Jerusalem, with its jasper walls and golden streets, all radiant with
the glory of God, is to be filled with the righteous of all ages. More­
over, the Holy City is not spoken of as the bride in the Revelation
until the saints are already occupying it. Paul calls the heavenly Je­
rusalem “the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26). Thus he likens the
church to the children of the bride. O ur Lord does the same when
He speaks of His people as “the children of the bridechamber”
(Mark 2:19). In His parables He likens the church to the guests (see
M atthew 22:11), and on another occasion to “ten virgins,” or the
maids of honor (Matthew 25:1). These different illustrations are
used to teach important lessons. This is not a contradiction. It rather
opens up new vistas of divine revelation. We need them all in order
to get the full picture.
From the beginning of human history, God has been seeking sub­
jects for His kingdom. W hen Adam sinned, the kingdoms of this
world were claimed by Satan, man’s seducer. But in “the fullness of
the time” (Galatians 4:4), God Himself came in the person of His
Son “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and by
the sacrifice of His own life the Son purchased back the lost posses­
sion. He is the Redeemer, or the heavenly Goel, as we noticed in chap­
ter 6. And we must never forget that “God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto Himself’ (2 Corinthians 5:19).

355
 Anticipating the time when the kingdom would again be restored
to the lost race, God has, through all the centuries, been calling men
to forsake their sins and come into fellowship with Him. In the Scrip­
tures the relationship between God and His people has often been
illustrated by the bridegroom and the bride. (See Isaiah 54:5; 62:5;
Jeremiah 2:32; 6:2; Hosea 2:19, 20; Matthew 9:15; John 3:29; 2 Cor­
inthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:32.) The most beautiful illustration of this
revelation of God’s love for His people, however, is found in the story
of Abraham’s sending his servant to seek a bride for his son, Isaac.
(See Genesis 24.)
When God called the nation of Israel, He spoke of it as a betrothal.
“I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness,” He said (Hosea 2:19).
Some separate these Scriptures, endeavoring to apply them either to
Israel as a nation or to the church as separate from Israel, depending
upon the viewpoint of the particular interpreter. God has ever had only
one church— made up of all nations and gathered out of every genera­
tion of men. In Acts 7:38 we read of “the church in the wilderness.”
This church was definitely composed of those whom Moses led out of
Egypt. They were part of the true church of God, which has existed ever
since the days of Adam. For this bride, or the church, the heavenly
Bridegroom paid a dowry far above the price of gold and rubies. This
dowry was His own blood, which He freely gave.

From heaven He came and sought her

To be His holy bride;
W ith His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
— Samuel J. Stone.

After His sacrifice came the interval o f separation when He went

back to His Father’s house, during which time the bride was to make
herself ready. She was to “be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for
the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8, see also
chapter 7:13).
While the bride is making herself ready, the Bridegroom is pre­
paring a place for her. “I go to prepare a place for you,” He said. “And

356
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself’ (John 14:2, 3). O blessed reception when we are called
to His side!
In Christ we have been chosen from eternity. (See Ephesians 1:4;
2 Timothy 1:9.) Throughout the Old Testament dispensation the
wedding has been announced. W hen the Son of God assumed our
flesh, the betrothal took place. W hen He sacrificed Himself on Cal­
vary, the dowry was paid. Since He ascended, the bride has been prepar­
ing herself and the Bridegroom has been preparing her home— the New
Jerusalem. Soon He will come and call her to occupy the place He has
prepared.
Before He leaves the courts of glory, after having finished His in­
tercession, He comes before the Father, the Ancient of Days, and
there is “given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him” (Daniel 7:13, 14).
Then the announcement is made, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath
made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).
If we think of the Holy City as the bride, then we know that city
is ready. But it remains for the inhabitants of that city to be ready, for
soon the Bridegroom will ride forth in all the authority of heaven as
He comes a Conqueror to claim His own. The apostle, describing that
scene, says, “I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He
that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness
he doth judge and make war” (verse 11, see also verse 14). Note the
thrilling description of the coming King contained in verses 12 and
13-—His eyes like flames of fire, His head adorned with many crowns,
His blood-red vesture and challenging title, “King of kings, and Lord
of lords”! No wonder the ungodly are startled and the unprepared
inhabitants of earth flee to the rocks and mountains, begging to be
buried “from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16)!
In contrast with this is the waiting bride— the church. The prom­
ise is, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of
the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). W hen the Bridegroom comes, He
catches up His people and leads them back to the kingdom of His

357
Father, where they will partake of the marriage supper. Looking for­
ward to that time, Jesus said, Ye shall “eat and drink at my table in my
kingdom” (Luke 22:30). Again, “I will not drink henceforth of this
fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my
Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).

W h e n d o e s t h e w e d d in g ta k e pla c e?

W hen Jesus has finished His intercessory ministry, He then comes

before “the Ancient of Days” to receive the kingdom and dominion
for which He died. (See Daniel 7:13.) This is actually the marriage of
the Bridegroom— the Lamb— and occurs before He returns to earth
for His saints. His waiting saints, those caught up to meet Him, are
then taken to the marriage supper of the Lamb in the Father’s house.
(See Revelation 19:7-9.) Jesus said, “Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for
their lord, when he will return from the wedding” (Luke 12:35, 36.
See also Early Writings, pages 55, 251, 280; The Great Controversy,
pages 426-428).
Those waiting saints are the bride for whom He comes. The king­
dom and the subjects of the kingdom are all one. As guests they go in
to the wedding feast; as the bride they share the wedding gift, which
is bestowed by the Father as a token of His affection when “the king­
dom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the
whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most
High.” “And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom”
(Daniel 7:27, 22). Marvelous possession! Hasten on, great day of
God!

T h e se c o n d supper

The closing verses of chapter 19 bring to view another supper.

This is not the marriage supper of joy and victory, which will be cel­
ebrated when the righteous gather in the Father’s presence, but it is
the tragic supper of the birds of prey who come to feed on the flesh of
kings and captains, those who, having rejected the invitation to the
wedding feast of the Lamb, are destroyed by the brightness of the ap­
pearing of our Lord. The days in which we live are days of prepara-

358
tion. While the people of God are preparing themselves to meet their
Lord in peace, the nations of earth are preparing themselves for war
and bloodshed. Here is the call that goes to the nations: “Prepare war,
wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near” (Joel 3:9).
The slogan of our day seems to be: “Talk peace, but prepare for war.”
Surely the harvest is ripening.

A SAFE HIDING PLACE

Soon the beast and the false prophet, the two great systems of
deception, are to be finally cast into the consuming fires of God (see
Revelation 19:20), and the wicked, so long boastful and defiant, will
then be destroyed “with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thessalo-
nians 2:8).
Frenzied with fear, the wicked, as they see the Lord coming in
majesty and power, hasten to “the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops
of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His maj­
esty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:21). Lordly
palaces and so-called fireproof buildings will burn like pitch. The only
thing that will stand in that day will be a godly character. It was char­
acter and Christian experience that the foolish virgins lacked in the
Master’s parable. (See Matthew 25:1-8.) God says, “I will cause the
arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of
the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a
man than the golden wedge of O phir” (Isaiah 13:11, 12). Precious
promise!
From the throne of God a voice was heard saying, “Praise our
God, all his servants” (Revelation 19:5). The word thronos, translated
as “throne,” or “seat,” occurs fifty times in this book, referring thirty-
seven times to the throne of God and thirteen times to the throne of
Satan. Thus we have a battle between thrones and the kingdoms they
represent. At God’s throne His character is vindicated and the pur­
pose of sin exposed. W hen the great judgment closes, two announce­
ments peal forth from the throne. First, “It is done!” (Revelation
16:7), and then, “Behold, I come quickly!” (Revelation 22:7). John
sees this mighty King descending in majesty, His brow adorned with
many diadems, for Christ is King of a sevenfold kingdom: “King of

359
the Jews”— racial; King of Israel— national; “King of Righteous­
ness”— spiritual; “King of the ages”— historical; “King of saints”—
ecclesiastical; “King of heaven”— celestial; “King of glory”— supernal.
All these are united in the title “King of kings” (Revelation 19:16).
W hen David overthrew the king Ammon, he took his crown. It is
told that when the Prince of Wales defeated King John of Bohemia in
the Battle of Creep, he brought back King John’s crown in which
there were three ostrich plumes; ever since then the emblem of the
Prince of Wales has been three feathers under which are the words, ich
dien, “I serve.” W hen Jesus conquered death and the author of sin, He
wrested from him his claim to kingship. And so He descends as King
of kings and Lord of lords. He died that He might make us citizens of
His kingdom.

360
 The history of this little planet, Earth, is the story of a bitter con­
flict between two opposing forces— the kingdom of light and truth
led by Christ and His angels, and the kingdom of darkness and error
led by the devil and his angels.
Angels are not human beings who have departed this life. They
never lived on this earth. They are a higher order of creatures than man­
kind. They existed long before this earth was created. As God’s mes­
sengers and representatives, they have the oversight of divine plans
throughout the mighty universe. Like all intelligent beings, at the time
they were created they were given the power of choice. Their loyalty to
God was not something forced upon them, for God wants His crea­
tures to serve Him through love rather than through fear or force.

W a r in h e a v e n

Previous studies have revealed that, back in the cycle of the ages,
rebellion broke out among the angels and one-third of these heavenly
beings proved disloyal to God. “And there was war in heaven: Michael
and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and
his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more
in heaven. And the great Dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out
into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation
12:7-9). That war that began in heaven has continued through the
ages. W hen our first parents proved disloyal to their Creator and
yielded allegiance to Satan, they thus became the servants of sin and
allies of the enemy of God. By subtle strategy the devil had conquered
humanity, and, as a usurper, he claimed this world as his kingdom.

T h e e a r t h a b a t t l e f ie l d

This transplanted the scene of the controversy, and the earth

361
became the battlefield o f the conflict. It was to bring this little
world back into harmony with the universe and to save mankind
from the dom inion o f Satan, that the Son of God left His home in
heaven, came to Earth, lived a sinless life, suffered indignities at
the hand of degenerate humanity, and died a vicarious death. He
did all this to give every hum an being on Earth an opportunity of
breaking from the power of Satan and of becoming, by G od’s
grace, a member of the family of heaven. All who believe on Him
are made sons and daughters of God, and every angel in glory be­
comes a messenger of God sent forth to help us. (See Hebrews
1:14.)

S in t o be d e st r o y e d

But the time is coming when the instigator of sin, the devil, to­
gether with all his angels and his followers, will be destroyed. Sin
will then be eradicated from the universe. This will take place at the
end of the thousand years, or the millennium. At the beginning of
the millennium the devil will be arrested and imprisoned. “And I
saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bot­
tomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound
him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:1, 2). This occurs when Christ
returns as “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revela­
tion 19:16). The devil is actually a supernatural terrorist, and, the
time having drawn near for his death sentence, he is now arrested
and bound awaiting his execution.
The chain that binds him cannot be literal, for a spirit being could
not be held by a physical chain. It is rather a chain of circumstances,
each link forged by an event over which the devil and his angels have
no power. Let us notice these events, bearing in mind that many more
Scriptural references could be given for each point.

O ur L o r d ’s r e t u r n — l it e r a l , v is ib l e , a n d p e r s o n a l

“O ur God shall come, and shall not keep silence,” said David
(Psalm 50:3). Jesus said, “I will come again” (John 14:3). “And they
shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power

362
and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). Paul said, “The Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). John said, “Ev­
ery eye shall see him ” (Revelation 1:7).

R ig h t e o u s d e a d r a is e d t o l if e

Jesus declared, “All that are in the graves shall hear his [Jesus’]
voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resur­
rection of life” Qohn 5:28, 29). Paul declared, “As in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive. . . . They that are Christ’s at
his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:22, 23). “For the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible” (verse 52).

G r e a t e a r t h q u a k e s ; c it ie s b r o k e n d o w n ;E a r t h b e c o m e s a w il d e r n e s s

W hen Jesus returns, the earth will be convulsed. The prophets are
a united voice as they emphasize this fact. “And there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty
an earthquake, and so great” (Revelation 16:18). “The earth is utterly
broken down, . . . the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel
to and fro like a drunkard. . . . The Lord shall punish the host of the
high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth”
(Isaiah 24:19-21). “I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilder­
ness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the
Lord” (Jeremiah 4:16). “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without
form and void” (verse 23).

T h e l iv in g r ig h t e o u s t r a n s l a t e d

Paul declares, “We which are alive and remain shall be caught
up . . . in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Jesus said, “He that be-
lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosever
liveth [or “is living”] and believeth in me shall never die” (John
11:25, 26). Like Enoch and Elijah, neither of whom died but were
taken up from this world alive into heaven, so will the righteous
who are alive when Jesus comes be caught up to meet him without
ever experiencing death.

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T h e l iv in g w ic k e d s l a in b y t h e b r ig h t n e s s o f H is g l o r y

W hen Jesus appears in glory, the sight will be tremendous. The

apostle declares, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with
his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know
not God” (2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8). “Then shall that wicked be re­
vealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thessalonians
2 : 8).
Those tremendous events will bring an anticlimax to all that the
devil has been claiming through the ages. He has made all kinds of
promises to humans— promises he cannot make good. He told Jesus
that he would give Him all the kingdoms of this world and the
glory of them if only He would bow down and worship him. (See
Luke 4:5, 6.) Satan never could have fulfilled that promise, for this
world was not his to give. True, he claimed it, and had Christ not
defeated the enemy, this world would really then have become the
kingdom of Satan and his hosts. But, thanks be to God, our Lord
won the victory over sin and Satan, and when He returns He will
take possession of the kingdoms of this world, which He won by
His sinless life and vicarious death, and then the works o f sinful
man will all be destroyed. “The towers shall fall, and every wall shall
fall to the ground” (Ezekiel 38:20, margin). Every “high tower” and
every “fenced wall” and “all the ships” and “the idols” will be de­
stroyed when the Lord arises to “shake terribly the earth” (See Isaiah
2:12-21.) In that great day the earth, with all its boasted grandeur,
its lovely palaces, and its earthquake-proof buildings, will be re­
duced to ruin and rubble.

T h e b o t t o m l e s s p it

The Greek word abussos is the word from which we get our Eng­
lish word abyss. It is translated “deep” in Romans 10:7 and is ap­
plied to the grave. The Greek translation of Genesis 1:2 uses this
same word in the description of the earth before creation: “The earth
was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep [abussos].” Almost the same language is employed by the
prophet Jeremiah when he says, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was

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without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light”
(Jeremiah 4:23). It is evident that this follows the coming of the
Lord in glory, for verse 26 says, “All the cities thereof were broken
down at the presence of the Lord.” The story, however, is not fin­
ished. “For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be deso­
late; yet will I not make a full end” (verse 27). The works of sinful
man must be eradicated before God can remake the world. So we
read, “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it
waste, and turneth it upside down [margin: “and perverteth the face
thereof’]. . . . The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled:
for the Lord hath spoken this word” (Isaiah 24:1-3).
Then he says, “The inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few
men left” (verse 6). These will be the despisers of the grace of God
who have walked in the “broad” way of destruction. They will be
burned or destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming. Those who
are left are the ones who have accepted salvation and have walked in
the “narrow” way that leads to life. (See Matthew 7:13, 14.) On this
desolate earth the devil will be bound. Satan was once the leader of
the angelic hosts of heaven. (See Ezekiel 28:14-19.) Through his sin
he lost his high position. He was cast out and has been sinking lower
and lower. W hen Christ returns to take the faithful to Himself, the
devil and his angels will be confined to this planet and for a thousand
years will be forced to wander up and down the dark wilderness of
broken cities and chaos to behold the tragic result of sin.

W h e r e a r e t h e r ig h t e o u s ?

Jesus said, “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). W hen our Lord returns,
all the righteous, both the resurrected dead and the translated living,
are “caught up” to be with Him, and they accompany Christ and His
angels back to heaven. During the thousand years, the millennium,
they will be in heaven judging the world; that is, they will be studying
the records of heaven. “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the
world?” asks the apostle Paul. He further says, “We shall judge angels”
(1 Corinthians 6:2, 3). John says, “I saw thrones, and they sat upon
them, and judgment was given unto them: . . . and they lived and

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reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4; see also Psalm
149:5-9).
The wicked dead are not raised at Christ’s second coming, for they
“lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation
20:5). All the wicked who are living when Jesus appears will be slain by
His glory. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:8.) Therefore there will be no human
inhabitants remaining on the earth; it will indeed be “desolate.”

Satan lo o sed

The devil will be in confinement during the thousand years. He

deceives “the nations no more, till the thousand years should be ful­
filled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Revelation
20:3). “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison” (verse 7). He was bound by circumstances; there­
fore the reversal of those conditions will release him, and he “shall go
out to deceive the nations, . . . to gather them together to battle”
(verse 8). The second resurrection, which is a resurrection to judg­
ment, occurs at the end of the millennium. (See verse 5.)

T h e r e s u r r e c t io n o f t h e w ic k e d

John, in vision, witnessed this tremendous resurrection. He says,

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
[the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them.” “And the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books, ac­
cording to their works” (verses 13, 12). Speaking of this resurrection,
Jesus said, “The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his [Jesus’] voice, and shall come forth; . . . they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” or judgment (John
5:28, 29). “The rest of the dead,” that is, those who were not raised
with the righteous in the first resurrection at the coming of Jesus,
“lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation
20:5). After they are raised, the devil goes forth to deceive them. (See
verse 8.) Although resurrected by the power of God, they are never­
theless still enemies of God, and Satan, as their great leader, will per­
suade them that this is their opportunity to establish their eternal
kingdom on the earth.

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T he H oly C it y d e s c e n d s

Then the prophet says, “And I John saw the Holy City, New Je­
rusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). Beholding this mighty
city descending in all its radiant glory, its jasper walls and golden
streets beyond anything mortal eyes have ever beheld; then seeing it
settle down on the site of the old Jerusalem— this startles the hosts of
the wicked, and in consternation they flee from the scene. (See Zecha-
riah 14:5, 6.) But Satan then deceives them into thinking they can
take the city by force. And John says, “They went up on the breadth
of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city” (Revelation 20:9).
Coming near to the city, the wicked will be able to gaze through
its transparent walls of jasper. To their astonishment they will recog­
nize some in that city whom they have despised. But these are inside
the city and saved, while they themselves are outside the city and
lost.
Before the execution of their sentence of judgment, the whole
drama of sin and salvation will pass in review before them. Above that
glorious city the Lord Himself will appear, and as scene after scene
comes before them in panorama, they see the plan of God to save this
lost world. W hat John was privileged to behold as he stood in the
throne room of the Eternal to receive the Revelation of Jesus Christ,
all will be enabled to see with undimmed vision.

Now Christ again appears to the view of His enemies. Far

above the city, upon a foundation of burnished gold, is a
throne, high and lifted up. Upon this throne sits the Son of
God, and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom. . . .
Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in the
cause of Satan, but who, plucked as brands from the burning,
have followed their Saviour with deep, intense devotion
(Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page 665).

Then the realization of their eternal loss sweeps over the wicked,
and a mighty wail bursts from their lips as they see, too late, that they

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can never share in the kingdom of God. They can never be saved, for
the day of salvation will have ended prior to the second advent of
Jesus at the beginning of the thousand years. Like Esau, their repentance
will come too late. Jesus said, “There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the
prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out”
(Luke 13:28). The saddest words that will ever be uttered are these:
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved”
(Jeremiah 8:20).

T he f in a l d e s t r u c t io n o f s in

The tragic story of sin comes to an end as the wicked are destroyed
root and branch. “Fire came down from God out of heaven and de­
voured them,” John says (Revelation 20:9). It is in mercy that the
devil and his hosts are destroyed, for “sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death” (James 1:15). “And the devil that deceived them was cast
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented [or tested] day and night forever
and ever” (Revelation 20:10). While this destruction is eternal in its
effect, yet the process of destruction will be, as it were, but “a mo­
ment.” “The wicked shall perish: . . . they shall consume; into smoke
shall they consume away” (Psalm 37:20). W hen the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah were destroyed, they suffered “the vengeance of eter­
nal fire” (Jude 7). In Lamentations 4:6 we read that Sodom “was over­
thrown as in a moment.” It is everlasting punishment, a result, not
everlasting punishing, a process. “For, behold, the day cometh, that
shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly,
shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith
the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch”
(Malachi 4:1). David said, “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall
not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not
be” (Psalm 37:10).

The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no

more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and
gladness beats throughout the vast creation. From Him who

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 The Millennium and Christ's Hnal Victrny Over Sin
created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the
realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the
greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their
unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love
(Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page 678).

The conflict is over. Tribulation and strife are at an end.

Songs of victory fill all heaven as the ransomed ones take up
the joyful strain, Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain,
and lives again, a triumphant conqueror (Ellen White, The
Acts o f the Apostles, page 602).

After the destruction of sin and sinners, Christ, the Conqueror of

sin and the Creator of the universe, re-creates this earth, which be­
comes the eternal home of the redeemed. “Sorrow and sighing shall
flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).

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 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea”
(Revelation 21:1). At last the controversy is ended; the battle won.
This blood-stained planet where sorrow, pain, and tears have held
sway has been transformed into a place of joy and peace. Sin and
sinners are no more. The universe is clean, and G od’s character is
vindicated. How precious are the promises of God! “We, according
to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). “For, behold, I create new
heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered,
nor come into m ind” (Isaiah 65:17). Even the memory of sin will be
blotted out.

T he three w orlds

Peter speaks of three worlds: “the world thar then was” (the world
before the Flood), “the heavens and the earth, which are now” (the
present world), and the “new heavens and a new earth” (the world to
come). (See 2 Peter 3:6, 7, 13.) Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek: for
they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The meek, those who
have wrought righteousness, are the ones that shall inherit the earth.
But it will not be as it is today, sin-cursed and sorrow-smitten; it will
be a world of radiant glory.

In the place where sin abounded, God grace much more

abounds. The earth itself, the very field that Satan claims
as his, is to be not only ransomed but exalted. O ur little
world, under the curse o f sin the one dark blot in His glo­
rious creation, will be honored above all other worlds in
the universe o f G od (Ellen W hite, The Desire o f Ages, page
26).

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 til,
Ever since man sinned, this world has been the battleground of
the forces of good and evil. The meek have actually possessed little of
it. But a change is coming, when the meek shall inherit the earth.
They do not have to buy it nor fight for it; it is an inheritance, re­
deemed for them forever. “The time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom” (Daniel 7:22). And in that day, “The L o rd shall be king
over all the earth. . . . And there shall be no more utter destruction”
(Zechariah 14:9, 11).

No MORE SEA; NO MORE CURSE

As the apostle of love penned these words, “no more sea” (Rev­
elation 21:1), his joy knew no bounds, for isolated as he was on the
penal island of Patmos, the sea only made more real the cruel sepa­
ration and loneliness that gnawed at his heart. But when God re­
makes the earth, everything that tells the sad story of sin and sorrow
will be obliterated. How often John had heard the sea as it pounded
that rocky coast. It spoke to him of the fury of war and commotion,
of godless antagonism, of the deep mystery of iniquity. “The wicked
are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest” (Isaiah 57:20). In vi­
sion John had beheld a ferocious beast arising from the sea, as a
symbol of a great dictator power whose purpose it was to take peace
from the earth. But in the earth made new there will be no fury of
the tempest, no wreck-strewn shore, but only the calm peace of eter­
nity. N ot only will there be a new humanity; there will also be a new
geography.
This present world has much more water than land surface; in
fact, three-fifths of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans. In the
days of Noah “were all the foundations of the great deep broken up”
(Genesis 7:11). This is what caused the Flood; not merely the down­
pour o f rain. The earth was convulsed, resulting in tremendous
physical changes. Oceans seem essential to our present world. They
constitute a great system of sanitation as well as a water supply, the
clouds being the result o f evaporation. But in the new earth, things
will be different. “There shall be no more curse,” says John (Revela­
tion 22:3). Actually, the earth today suffers under a threefold curse.
W hen Adam sinned, the earth was cursed, and forthwith it brought

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forth “thorns also and thistles” (Genesis 3:18). Later when the first
diabolical crime, the murder of Abel, was committed, the ground
suffered another curse; it no longer yielded of its full strength. (See
Genesis 4:11, 12). After the Flood, God said, “I will not again curse
the ground any more for m an’s sake” (Genesis 8:21). So the Flood
was the final curse upon the earth because of m an’s sin and corrup­
tion.
Many today ridicule the Flood story. But Christ confirmed it. He
said that the wicked in Noah’s day “knew not until the Flood came,
and took them all away” (Matthew 24:39). Evidence piles upon evi­
dence in every land of earth testifying to a worldwide destruction by
water. N ot only the mighty oceans, but great, yawning canyons and
torn, twisted strata stand as tombstones of a buried civilization. God’s
W ord says, “The world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished” (2 Peter 3:6). Only water action could deposit the abun­
dant marine life that we find today in fossil form in mountains fifteen
thousand to twenty thousand feet high. The world today is actually a
vast cemetery. But when God re-creates it there will be no “leftovers”
to remind us of sin.

T h e n e w c r e a t io n

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things
new” (Revelation 21:5). Note that the W ord says, “all things new,”
not “all new things.” This earth is not to be destroyed, but to be re­
newed. It will be an eternal witness of God’s great love. This little
world, where the Creator Himself suffered humiliation, shame, and
death in order to redeem it; this place where His persecuted people
have been but strangers and pilgrims; this sin-cursed land that Satan
claimed as his own, is to be remade, and then it will be the habitation
of the saved.
In that day “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose,”
and “the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad.” “Then the
eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue
of the dumb sing” (Isaiah 35:1, 5, 6). This is m an’s long-lost home;
lost through sin, but redeemed through grace. “The first dom inion”

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(Micah 4:8) will be restored to the human family when God makes
all things new. He promises that there will be a “restitution of all
things” (Acts 3:21). The New Jerusalem will be the eternal capital of
this restored kingdom.

O n l y t h e o v e r c o m e s w il l in h e r it t h e k in g d o m

Every citizen of that kingdom will have been tested and tried.
But some who have lived on this earth, perchance our neighbors,
friends, or even loved ones, will not be there. The apostle reveals
who it is that will have missed that inheritance. They are “the fear­
ful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars” (Revela­
tion 21:8). The list begins with “the fearful.” They could have
been with their Savior for eternity, but they were fearful— too
afraid to own their Lord. They feared the ridicule of friends. They
feared the loss of their social prestige or perhaps their employ­
ment, so they hesitated to accept G od’s message. They were not
disreputable sinners; they were not criminals, murderers, adulter­
ers, or drunkards; they were fearful— afraid to do what they knew
to be right, so they lost the kingdom. At last they are found out­
side the kingdom and in the company o f the abominable, the sor­
cerers, and the whoremongers. It takes courage to obey God. It
costs something to be on the side of truth, but what a terrible price
is paid by those who fail to accept citizenship in the kingdom of
God! Sin is always costly.
Another class who find themselves outside the city are the unbe­
lieving— those who think it a mark of scholarship to doubt the W ord
of God. N or will that city have a place for whosoever “maketh a lie”
(verse 27). Some who would shun to tell a lie will not hesitate to make
a lie. By a glance or a nod a lie can be made. Sometimes lies are clas­
sified as “white lies,” “black lies,” “business lies,” “society lies,” or
“diplomatic lies.” But no one who loves lies, tells lies, or works lies
will get into that kingdom.
In the twelve foundations in that city wall will be found “the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (verse 14). It is, therefore,
not a Jewish city, although many Jews will be there. But they will be

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there, not because they are Jews, but because they have been over­
comers through the grace of God. N ot only are the names of the
apostles engraved on the foundations, but also the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel will be upon the twelve gates. Both dispensa­
tions are thus linked together. The overcomers from all the ages find
entrance there. The city is immense and is built in a perfect square.
John learned the measurements of it— twelve thousand furlongs, or
fifteen hundred miles! Some would ridicule any attempt to interpret
these measurements as literal. If not literal, they are meaningless.
W onderful spiritual lessons may be brought from these descriptions,
but we must never forget that the earth itself is literal and that its
inhabitants are literal. To attempt to spiritualize this city away
makes the message of the Revelation lose its appeal. God promises
that the citizens of that eternal kingdom “Shall build houses, and
inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of
them ” (Isaiah 65:21). Then why wonder if the city which God has
built and prepared for those that love H im is literal? Heaven is not
a state of mind; it is a glorious place. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a
place for you” (John 14:2).

T h e c it y w a l l a b l a z e o f g l o r y

Mortal eyes have never beheld a city such as this— a city without
slums, w ithout police officers, w ithout law courts, even without
sewers. There is nothing there that defiles; all flashes in the splendor
of the glory of God. Golden streets, gates of pearl, and walls of jas­
per! It is garnished or adorned with all manner of transparent pre­
cious stones, which taken together reflect the colors of the rain­
bow— the sapphire (sky blue); chalcedony or agate (bluish white);
emerald (vivid green); sardonyx (carnelian or flesh-colored); sardius
(vivid red); chrysolyte (bright yellow); beryl (sea-green); topaz (yel­
lowish green); chrysoprasus (pale green); hyacinth or jacinth (sap­
phire blue); amethyst (violet). As John beheld this glory in vision, it
was a striking contrast with the dust and dirt of barren Patmos.
Those prophetic pictures were first sent to Christians who knew the
heavy hand of persecution. John was telling them that if they but
held fast their faith, even in the face of death or devils, this Holy

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City would be theirs. Paul said, “I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Streets o f g o l d a n d gates o f pearl

How lavish is the appearance of this city! Gold, the one thing for
which so many men have sold their souls, will be under the feet of
the redeemed in that glorious city. And the gates will never close.
Ancient cities often had but one gate, which could be closed and
guarded at night. But this city has twelve gates, and these will never
close, for no enemy can enter that fair land. And the gates are pearls.
Pearls are produced by suffering. W hen a grain of sand works its
way into the oyster shell, there seems only one thing for that lowly
creature to do. To deny the existence of the sand is futile, for it is
there. To rebel is useless. So, slowly and patiently, the oyster begins
to build layer upon layer of a plastic, milky substance, which at last
covers up the cutting edges of the sand, leaving a lovely coating over
all, which hardens to become a beautiful pearl. Thus the trial is con­
quered and the misfortune turned to blessing. All who enter that
fair city will pass through a gate of pearl, a symbol of suffering. By
the abundant grace of God they have turned their trials into tri­
umphs; every gnawing sin was covered with the righteousness of
Christ.

N o TEM PLE TH E R E IN
John reported, “I saw no temple therein” (Revelation 21:22). In
the temple service of the Hebrews the most prominent feature in the
ritual worship was the sacrifice. The temple itself stood for a sacrificial
system. In the new heaven and the new earth, sin and sacrifice will be
no more. The only thing to remind us of the price of our redemption
will be the wounds in our Savior’s hands, feet, and side. The redeemed
will have unbroken fellowship with the Father and communion with
all His creation, and “affliction shall not rise up the second time”
(Nahum 1:9). Sin will have come to an end. Only those who are saved
will walk in the light of that city. But representatives of every nation
will be there.

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 No hospitals or cemeteries will be needed in that fair land, for
“the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick” (Isaiah 33:24). W hat will it
be to live in a land where there will be joy without sorrow, laughter
without tears, and life without sickness and death? “God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, nei­
ther sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

T h e a n im a l s w il l b e d if f e r e n t in n a t u r e

W hen God created this earth, He made the animals to be com­

panions to man. But sin came in, and the whole animal kingdom,
instead of being affectionate, became quarrelsome and belligerent; the
beasts became ferocious. All this, however, will be changed forever in
that coming kingdom, for there “the wolf also shall dwell with the
lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the
young lion and the fading together; and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down
together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. . . . They shall not
hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of
the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-
9).

T h e w o u n d s o f s in h e a l e d b y t h e t r e e o f l if e

W hen Adam sinned he was denied access to the tree of life. Sin
must not be perpetuated. The way was barred by cherubim with a
flaming sword. W ounded in soul and bowed under the burden of
their sin, our first parents left the Garden of God. But all that was lost
will be restored. In the earth made new we will eat of the fruit of the
tree of life and drink of the water of life so that we may live forever.
(See Revelation 22:1, 12; Genesis 3:22). Such is the prophetic picture
of God’s perfect provision— perfect fellowship and perfect protection.
Redeemed by His grace, we will be His companions throughout eter­
nity.
O ur Lord became a member of our human family that He might
make us members of His heavenly family. Paul says, “Through him
we . . . are no longer exiles, migrants and aliens, excluded from the

376
 til,
rights of citizens; but you now share citizenship with the saints—
God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for himself; and you
belong to God’s [own] household” (Ephesians 2:18, 19, Amplified
Bible). W hen the redeemed of all ages gather in God’s banqueting
house, God’s W ord says that His banner over us will be love. (See
Song of Solomon 2:4.) In Revelation 12:5 we read that the Child to
be born our Savior is to “rule all nations with a rod of iron.” But His
rulership will be that of a Shepherd who wipes away “all tears from
their eyes” (Revelation 7:17). The rod with which He rules His people
is labeled “LOVE.”

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 The great pageant is over. The final curtain has closed. Through
scene after scene the prophet has led us, as he pictured Christ and His
care for His people. We have witnessed the church passing through
crushing conflicts and suffering bitter persecutions, yet always she has
lived to triumph over her enemies. Her constant inspiration, that
which has continually beckoned her forward, has been the promise of
a place at last in the land beyond the sunset. The conviction that her
Bridegroom will return has ever been her “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13),
the polestar by which the church has steered her steady course.
As the beauties of the new earth and the glories of the Holy City
suddenly burst upon us in the closing scenes of this drama, they leave
us thrilled but sobered. Now hear these words: “There shall in no wise
enter into it anything that defileth: . . . but they which are written in
the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). It is indeed a holy city,
for every one of its occupants will be an overcomer. The glorious king­
dom of Jesus Christ will be the eternal home of the righteous of all
ages.

A FINAL GREETING FROM THE REVEALER

And now the Revealer steps forward, as it were, and, standing in
front of the curtain, He says a final word. He is eager to impress us
with the fact that the things we have seen and heard are “faithful and
true.” Abundant blessings are also pronounced upon him “that keep-
eth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:6, 7).
The Lord realizes that the message of this book would be unwelcome
in some circles and that some would even try to change the words, so
He gave us this final word to assure us of its importance. He says, “I
Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the
churches. . . . For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of
the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things,

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God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and
if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this proph­
ecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of
the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book”
(verses 16-19). Solemn words indeed! This was doubtless a warning
to copyists of succeeding centuries to be exceedingly careful not to
change a word. But it is also a warning to all interpreters. One who
misapplies the message of this book imperils his own soul.

A n u n s e at e d b o o k

The Revelation is not a sealed book. A portion of Daniel’s proph­

ecy was sealed. He was told to “shut up the words, and seal the book,
even to the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). But John, on the contrary,
was told distinctly, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book:
for the time is at hand” (Revelation 20:10). If we had no other evi­
dence than this one statement, it would be sufficient to reveal the
weakness and fallacy of the futuristic interpretation. Futurism is that
method of interpretation that endeavors to throw these prophecies
away off into the future as if they had no message for the church of the
centuries. Those who follow this papal error, which was a direct attack
on the Protestant Reformation, lose the very purpose of the book.
Those who try to make these prophecies apply after Christ has re­
turned for His church are unwittingly sealing the “the sayings of the
prophecy of this book” (verse 10). The Revelation is not for the fu­
ture alone; its message is for the whole Christian Era. All the Reform­
ers of the sixteenth century interpreted this prophetic book in the
historical method, finding its fulfillment in history.

W h e n m e r c y ’s d o o r c l o s e s

As Jesus Christ, our exalted High Priest and Judge, concludes His
ministry of intercession, He pronounces the sentence of judgment in
these most solemn words: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still:
and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,
let him be righteous still: and he that his holy, let him be holy still.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every
man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:11, 12).

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 These m omentous words, spoken by “the judge o f all the earth”
(Genesis 18:25), settle forever the destiny o f every soul that has
ever lived on this earth. There is no suggestion anywhere in G od’s
W ord of a second chance. N or is there any need for another op­
portunity. True, not all have been in the same places o f opportu­
nity, but in the great judgm ent every influence that has played any
part in the individual’s life will be taken into account. “The Lord
shall count, when he writeth up the people, that his man was born
there” (Psalm 87:6). We will be judged not merely by what we
have done, but by what we might have done with the opportunities
given us. “Shall not the Judge o f all the earth do right?” (Genesis
18:25).

T h e f in a l b e a t it u d e

O f the seven beatitudes found in the Revelation, this is the final

one: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the
city” (Revelation 22:14). This passage is sometimes translated, “Blessed
are those who wash their robes.” The reading of the oldest manu­
scripts, however, is in accordance with the Authorized Version, as is
evident from the quotations by early Christian writers who were quot­
ing from older manuscripts that are no longer available to us today.
Whichever reading is preferred, the result is the same, for only those
who have “washed their robes. . . in the blood of the Lamb” (Revela­
tion 7:14) are able to “do his commandments.” Obedience is never a
ground of grace, but God’s grace is the only ground for our obedi­
ence. It was disobedience that shut our first parents out of Eden and
barred them from the tree of life. And only through the all-sufficient
sacrifice of Christ and a life of submission to God’s will can man be
reinstated in the Paradise of God and again have access to the tree of
life.

T h e f in a l in v it a t io n

“The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosever will, let him
take the water of life freely” (verse Revelation 22:17).

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 God’s last command to Noah, just before the Flood that swept
away his generation, was, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark”
(Genesis 7:1). A similar appeal is going to all mankind today. How
tender is this appeal, and yet how far reaching! Whosoever will may
come. Heaven is free; it is a prepared place for a prepared people.
Jesus says: “Ye who are wandering, care-worn and weary, come! Share
with Me My home of peace and joy and love— a home that will never
be invaded by suffering, sorrow, and sin. For you I suffered and bled
and died, taking your place in a world of darkness and death that you
might share My place in the realms of light and love. Accept My invi­
tation. It is for you. Come! Take all! It is yours ‘without money and
without price!’ And now, having heard My invitation, will you not go
and tell someone else?”
The primary mission of the church is not to fight, but to invite
others to accept God’s love. A bride is dressed in white not that she
may fight but that she may be winsome. And Christ’s bride “hath
made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7) in His righteousness.

L e t h im t h a t h e a r s say, “C om e ”

The camel caravans that moved through the desert did not always
keep close together. But when the leader saw water in the distance, he
would wave his arms, calling, “Come! Water!” The next man would
do the same, and the next, and the next, until all had heard the news.
Having heard the news, the hearer must pass the word on to someone
else.

T he throne of G o d a nd the L amb

From that matchless throne of glory flows the wondrous river of

life, and on its verdant banks of green blooms the fadeless tree of life.
Those who reach that land of love shall never know hunger or thirst
again. And the Good Shepherd Himself will lead His flock to foun­
tains of living water. W hat joy to exchange the toil-worn garments of
our pilgrimage for the beautiful robes of light!

While the glory of God like a molten sea

Bathes the immortal company.

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 All the wounds of all the wars and all the hurts of hate and sin,
will be forever banished when “the Lord bindeth up the breach of
his people, and healeth the stroke o f their w ound” (Isaiah
30:26).
How wonderful to be in the society of heaven! Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and Joseph; Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, and Job; Esther, Elijah,
David, and Ruth; Mary, Peter, Stephen, and Paul— the great and
good of all the ages will be there. Beauty beyond comparison, flowers
in infinite variety, fruits that never decay, fields of verdant green, mu­
sic unheard by mortal ears, all combining to make more glorious your
homeland and mine, dear friend, if by grace we have prepared our­
selves to fellowship with God and holy angels. Soon we will lay down
the cross and take the crown. Soon our days of sorrow will be past.
Soon we will leave this vale of tears and be with Him whose glory fills
creation.
At the end of a hard and toilsome day the aged prophet is seated
on the rugged shore of Patmos. As the evening sun dips behind the
watery horizon, the whole scene changes into a pageant of gold. In the
glory of that spectacle, the hardships of the day are forgotten as for a
few moments he lives anew those scenes of wonder he beheld in vi­
sion. Before him is another “sea of glass mingled with fire” (Revela­
tion 15:2). By faith he hears again the voices of a great multitude in
the paean of praise and victory. The song o f creation sung by the
elders and angels he has already recorded (see Revelation chapter 4),
and also the new song of redemption (see chapter 5). But the mighty
song of re-creation and eternal victory fills his heart once more with
jubilation. Winding his way back to his hut, he lifts his pen and writes,
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that
had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his
mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, hav­
ing the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of
God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy
works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of
saints. W ho shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for
thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee”
(Revelation 15:2-4).

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 Shall we be among them, dear friend? Will you and I join in that
anthem of praise? In that wonderland of light the redeemed will con­
template the vast expanse of God’s treasures as all the universe is
opened for their study. W hat will it be to follow the Lamb whitherso­
ever He goeth, and wing our tireless flight to worlds afar! How glori­
ous to tell and retell the story of His love and grace! How rich a re­
ward for a few years of heartache and sorrow if we can but revel in the
harmonies of heaven and watch entranced the myriads of suns, stars,
and systems all circling the throne of Deity! O day of rapture, speed
thy dawning! The last recorded words of Jesus are, “Surely I come
quickly” (Revelation 22:20). And with the saintly seer of Patmos we
respond, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all. Amen” (verses 20, 21).

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aside tie curtain

S
tand in imagination with faithful Daniel as he explains a mysterious dream to a pagan
king. O r find yourself with his three Hebrew friends in the fiery furnace— and feel the
presence of Jesus beside you as they did! Thrill with John on Patmos as he sees again his
risen Lord—Jesus Christ, now glorified in heaven.

The books of Daniel and Revelation will not only give you information about the great
struggle between Christ and Satan as it plays out at the end of the world— they will also
bring revival and spiritual renewal into your life as you learn what God plans to do
through His people in the end time.

In the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, God draws aside the curtain to reveal the
behind-the-scenes meaning of events soon to occur in the last days before Jesus returns.
Properly understood, these divine prophetic messages help us understand what is happening
in our world today—and why. But even more importantly, they show us how to live in order
to meet our Savior and spend eternity with Him in heaven.

God has reserved a special blessing for those who read and heed the books of Daniel and
Revelation. Let Him unveil the future for you, and discover a new dimension to your
religious experience!

Roy Al!3[] AlldSISOIl (1895-1985) was a life-long student of the Bible. He served as
a teacher, evangelist, pastor, church administrator, and author. In addition to writ­
ing on the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, he authored The God-Man:
His Nature and Work, Preachers o f Righteousness, and Secrets o f the Spirit World.

Cover photography by Steve Trapero.

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